SEAT, S.A. ( "say-at"; ) is a
SpanishSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.
[The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though España , Estado español and Nación española are used interchangeably...]
automobile manufacturerThe automotive industry designs, develops, manufactures, markets, and sells the world's motor vehicles. In 2008, more than 70 million motor vehicles, including cars and commercial vehicles were produced worldwide....
founded in 1950 by the
Instituto Nacional de IndustriaInstituto Nacional de Industria , literally National Institute of Industry, is a Spanish state-owned industrial holding company.-History:...
(INI), with initial
FiatFiat S.p.A., an acronym for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino , is an Italian automobile manufacturer, engine manufacturer, financial and industrial group based in Turin in the Piedmont region. Fiat was founded in 1899 by a group of investors including Giovanni Agnelli. Fiat has also...
assistance, and now a wholly owned subsidiary of the
GermanGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
Volkswagen GroupVolkswagen Group is a German automobile manufacturing group, currently the third largest automobile maker in the world, and the largest in Europe...
. Its headquarters are at
MartorellMartorell is a town near Barcelona, in Catalonia, Spain, primarily known for its medieval Devil's bridge and as one of the most notorious hubs of toll autoroutes in Catalonia....
near
BarcelonaBarcelona is the capital, most populous city of the Autonomous Community of Catalonia and the second largest city in Spain, with a population of 1,615,908 in 2008. It is the 11th-most populous municipality in the European Union and sixth-most populous urban area in the European Union after Paris,...
,
SpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.
[The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though España , Estado español and Nación española are used interchangeably...]
. Its production reached 408,318 cars in 2006.
SEAT is an acronym for
Sociedad Española de Automóviles de Turismo, or in English
Spanish Society Car Company.
Initially, SEAT manufactured rebadged
FiatFiat S.p.A., an acronym for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino , is an Italian automobile manufacturer, engine manufacturer, financial and industrial group based in Turin in the Piedmont region. Fiat was founded in 1899 by a group of investors including Giovanni Agnelli. Fiat has also...
models which differed very little visually from the products of the Italian parent. The SEAT Panda (later restyled as
SEAT MarbellaThe SEAT Marbella was a badge-engineered Fiat Panda , produced by SEAT in Spain from 1986 until 1998.Previously, the model was called SEAT Panda and was a direct clone of the Fiat Panda model, but its name and some parts had to be changed because of a break in the relationship with Fiat...
) for example was based on the
Fiat PandaThe Fiat Panda is a city car from the Italian automotive manufacturer Fiat. The first Fiat Panda was made from 1980 to 2003 with only few changes, and is now sometimes referred to as the "old Panda"...
. The
SEAT 600The SEAT 600 was a Spanish car made by SEAT from 1957 to 1973. It helped to start the economic recovery after the hard years following the Spanish Civil War...
, based on
Fiat 600The Fiat 600 [say-chento] is a city car produced by the Italian automaker Fiat from 1955 to 1969. Measuring only 3.22 m long, it was the first rear-engined Fiat and cost the equivalent of about € 6,700 or US$ 7300 in today's money . The total number produced from 1955 to 1969 at...
, was the first car for many Spanish families, and became a symbol of the
Spanish MiracleThe Spanish miracle was the name given to a broadly based economic boom in Spain between 1959 and 1973. It ended with the oil shocks of the 1970s. The boom was bolstered by economic reforms promoted by the so-called technocrats, accepted by dictator Francisco Franco, who put in place development...
.
By 1967 SEAT was Spain's largest auto-maker. In that year Fiat increased its holding in the company from 6% to 36%. At the same time the share held by the
government holding agencyInstituto Nacional de Industria , literally National Institute of Industry, is a Spanish state-owned industrial holding company.-History:...
was reduced from a controlling 51% to 32%. The remaining 32% was taken by six major banks. Although not a majority owner, Fiat now was seen to control the business: the deal also included various undertakings by Fiat to help in the growth of SEAT, and with the development of a new model (possibly the
SEAT 133The SEAT 133 was a small rear-engine car designed and sold by SEAT in Spain from 1974 to 1979. The car used the chassis and engine of the by then defunct Fiat/SEAT 850 and featured a new body in the style of the contemporary, somewhat smaller and only indirectly related Fiat 126.The car was first...
).
During the ensuing period, the manufacturer continued to dominate the Spanish auto market, producing 282,698 cars - more than 58% of the Spanish production total - in 1971 despite disruption that year caused by strikes and a serious flood at the coastally sited Barcelona plant. However, with just 81 cars per thousand people, Spanish car sales were seen as ripe for further growth, and SEAT faced the prospect of increased competition with other major manufacturers contemplating establishment or expansion of 'local' production facilities in the still heavily protected Spanish car market.
In the early 1980s extensive discussions concerning funding and control took place between the major share holder, the Spanish government, and Fiat: SEAT needed major capital investment which Fiat was not prepared to inject. The outcome, by 1982, was an end after nearly 30 years, to the relationship with Fiat. The first car under the new SEAT logo without Fiat involvement appeared in 1982, and was called the
SEAT RondaThe SEAT Ronda is a small family car produced by Spanish automaker SEAT from 1982 to 1986. The car is a version of a Fiat Ritmo redesigned just enough so that Fiat could not sue SEAT on the basis of patent infringement after 1980 when Fiat abandoned their cooperation with SEAT...
. This was a restyled
Fiat RitmoThe Fiat Ritmo is an automobile from the Italian manufacturer Fiat, launched in 1978. Styled by Bertone of Italy, it was seen by some as the most distinctive looking small family car in Europe on its launch in 1978 Turin Motorshow. It was badged in Britain, Canada and the U.S. as the Fiat Strada...
, and sparked a lawsuit from Fiat against SEAT, as the former claimed the car was still too similar to the Ritmo. The then president of SEAT, Juan Miguel Antoñanzas, showed a Ronda to the press with all the parts different from the Fiat Ritmo painted in bright yellow, to highlight the differences. This ended the dispute. Rumour at the time had it that Fiat was angry because the Ronda restyling was in fact too close to their own planned restyling for the Fiat Ritmo, which they had to scrap.
A few years after the withdrawal of Fiat in 1981, the
Volkswagen GroupVolkswagen Group is a German automobile manufacturing group, currently the third largest automobile maker in the world, and the largest in Europe...
subsidiary
Audi AGAUDI AG, is a German company which produces luxury cars under the Audi brand, . It is part of the Volkswagen Group. The name Audi is based on a Latin translation of the surname of the founder August Horch, itself the German word for “listen!"Audi is headquartered in Ingolstadt, Bavaria, Germany.It...
signed a cooperation agreement with SEAT, becoming the major
shareholderA mutual shareholder or stockholder is an individual or company that legally owns one or more shares of stock in a joint stock company. A company's shareholders collectively own that company. Thus, the typical goal of such companies is to enhance shareholder value.Stockholders are granted...
in 1986, and 100%
ownerOwnership is the state or fact of exclusive rights and control over property, which may be an object, land/real estate or intellectual property. An ownership right is also referred to as title. The concept of ownership has existed for thousands of years and in all cultures...
of the company in 1990. During the mid 2000s, the ownership of the SEAT company was realigned, with Audi AG transferring ownership of SEAT to the top-tier
holding companyA holding company is a company that owns other companies' outstanding stock. It usually refers to a company which does not produce goods or services itself, rather its only purpose is owning shares of other companies. Holding companies allow the reduction of risk for the owners and can allow the...
Volkswagen Group.
Facilities
SEAT has its manufacturing facilities in
MartorellMartorell is a town near Barcelona, in Catalonia, Spain, primarily known for its medieval Devil's bridge and as one of the most notorious hubs of toll autoroutes in Catalonia....
, an industrial town close to
BarcelonaBarcelona is the capital, most populous city of the Autonomous Community of Catalonia and the second largest city in Spain, with a population of 1,615,908 in 2008. It is the 11th-most populous municipality in the European Union and sixth-most populous urban area in the European Union after Paris,...
. The plant was opened by
King Juan Carlos of SpainJuan Carlos I of Spain is the reigning king of Spain. He is the son of the late Infante Juan, Count of Barcelona and the late Princess María Mercedes of Bourbon-Two Sicilies...
in 1993, and replaced SEAT's original assembly plant by the coast in
Barcelona's freeport zoneThe Barcelona Free Port or Zona Franca de Barcelona is a tariff-free industrial park that has developed within the Port of Barcelona, across the flat land of the Llobregat delta between the city of Barcelona and Barcelona International Airport to the south.-Information:In common with much of...
. The development facilities are some of the newest in the
Volkswagen GroupVolkswagen Group is a German automobile manufacturing group, currently the third largest automobile maker in the world, and the largest in Europe...
. For example, the development and design of the
Audi Q7The Audi Q7 is a full-size luxury crossover SUV produced by German automaker Audi since its unveiling at the Los Angeles Auto Show in January 2006....
took place there.
Presence in different markets
The company styles its own models of cars in accordance with the development policies of the
Volkswagen GroupVolkswagen Group is a German automobile manufacturing group, currently the third largest automobile maker in the world, and the largest in Europe...
. Some of its cars have been sold outside
EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus Mountains , and the Black Sea to the southeast...
, badged as
VolkswagenThe Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft , also known as Volkswagen Group or as VW, is an automobile manufacturer and mobility organisation based in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany and is the pioneer brand within the Volkswagen Group, which contains the car brands Audi AG, Bentley Motors Ltd.,...
s, such as the
SEAT IbizaThe SEAT Ibiza is a car constructed and marketed in the European supermini class, sold under the Spanish SEAT marque.Introduced in 1984, it was initially manufactured by SEAT S.A., based on joint venture designs from Fiat...
hatchback, known in
South AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country located at the southern tip of Africa, with a coastline on the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. To the north lie Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe, to the east are Mozambique and Swaziland, while Lesotho is an independent country surrounded by South Africa.Modern...
as the
Volkswagen Polo PlayaThe Volkswagen Polo Playa is a supermini produced and sold in South Africa. From 1996 until 2002, it was a rebadged version of the SEAT Ibiza Mk2 five-door hatchback. A separate model, the Polo Mk3 was sold in most markets during this period - this model shared its mechanical components with the...
, the
SEAT IncaThe SEAT Inca is a panel van, manufactured between 1995 and 2003. It was designed and assembled in Spain by SEAT, S.A., and based upon the SEAT Ibiza Mk2 , with which it shared its chassis and front body panels...
panel van as the
Volkswagen CaddyThe name Volkswagen Caddy has been used by the Volkswagen Group to describe four different Caddy models:*Typ 14 was derived from the Volkswagen Golf Mk1,*Typ 9K was derived from the Volkswagen Polo Mk3 / SEAT Ibiza platform,...
, or the
SEAT CórdobaThe SEAT Córdoba is the saloon, estate and coupé version of the supermini SEAT Ibiza, built by Spanish automaker SEAT from 1993 to 2008. It is named after a city in Central Argentina, where several famous rally events have been held in the past...
also known as the Volkswagen Polo Classic.
Rumours of a SEAT model being sold as a Volkswagen in
CanadaCanada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to supplement the Volkswagen's brand lineup there have occasionally circulated, but have always been unsubstantiated, and ultimately proven to be false. SEAT markets 6 models in
MexicoThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, and has dealer presence in 27 Mexican states.
SEAT maintained a limited market presence in Trinidad and Tobago between 1992 and 2004. Local dealership, H.E Robinson Ltd. was also the importer for Rover and Proton cars. The first SEAT model sold in Trinidad was the Terra LCV . Later introductions included the Ibiza and Cordoba . The Ibiza 2.0GTI was dominant on the local rally circuits for a short time. A brave attempt at rivaling other European brands was initiated in 1999 with the introduction of the Alhambra minivan, Toledo sport saloon and Arosa supermini. The poor backup service provided by the dealer and the subsequent bankruptcy of H.E Robinson Ltd. in 2002, sorely damaged the SEAT brand in Trinidad and Tobago. SEAT continued to be sold by Trinidad and Tobago Autos Ltd, which had assumed the old dealership's Rover franchise. As a result of limited sales , SEAT was finally pulled from the market in late 2004.
SEAT's presence in international markets (outside of Europe) has yet to be realised, with the failed plan to launch SEAT in Canada in 1994, and with the withdrawing of SEAT from the
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
n market after only selling its range from 1995-1999 and a total of 3,600 vehicles in the 4 years it was on the Australian market. Following SEAT's departure from Australia, unsold Cordobas ended up in
New ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous smaller islands, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands. The indigenous Māori named New Zealand Aotearoa, commonly translated as The Land of the Long White Cloud...
, where they were sold until 2001. SEAT is also positioned to launch in the United States sometime after 2008, although this has yet to be verified as a certainty. SEAT currently continues to expand to international markets under the Volkswagen Group, particularly in the
Middle EastThe Middle East is a region that spans southwestern Asia, southeastern Europe, and northeastern Africa. It has no clear boundaries, often used as a synonym to Near East, in opposition to Far East...
and
AsiaAsia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.6% of the earth's total surface area and with approximately 4 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population.Asia is traditionally defined as part of the...
, achieving a considerable success in
ThailandThe Kingdom of Thailand is an independent country that lies in the heart of Southeast Asia.It is bordered to the north by Laos and Burma, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the west by the Andaman Sea and Burma...
,
ChinaChina is a cultural region, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
,
JordanJordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in Western Asia spanning the southern part of the Syrian Desert down to the Gulf of Aqaba. Jordan shares borders with Syria to the north, Iraq to the northeast, Saudi Arabia to the east and south, the Gulf of Aqaba to the southwest,...
and
IsraelIsrael officially the State of Israel , is a developed state in Western Asia located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan in the east, and Egypt on the southwest, and contains geographically diverse features within its...
. After launching the brand in
South AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country located at the southern tip of Africa, with a coastline on the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. To the north lie Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe, to the east are Mozambique and Swaziland, while Lesotho is an independent country surrounded by South Africa.Modern...
in June 2006 & selling approximately 2600 vehicles, Volkswagen South Africa announced that it's pulling the SEAT brand from the country by end 2008, citing that current and expected circumstances make the ongoing importation of a niche brand in the South African market non-viable.
SEAT in motorsport
Since the Volkswagen Group takeover in 1990, SEAT has been increasing its presence in the motorsport world. This was mainly down to VW's plan on focusing the SEAT brand as 'sporty', to appeal to the younger generation of drivers.
Rallying
SEAT's first serious attempt at a
World Rally ChampionshipThe World Rally Championship is a rallying series organised by the FIA, culminating with a champion driver, co-driver and manufacturer. The driver's world championship and manufacturer's world championship are separate championships, but based on the same point system...
(WRC) title was burdened on the small
SEAT IbizaThe SEAT Ibiza is a car constructed and marketed in the European supermini class, sold under the Spanish SEAT marque.Introduced in 1984, it was initially manufactured by SEAT S.A., based on joint venture designs from Fiat...
, a 1.6L normally aspirated
front-wheel driveFront-wheel drive is a form of engine/transmission layout used in motor vehicles, where the engine drives the front wheels only. Most modern front-wheel drive vehicles feature a transverse engine, rather than the conventional longitudinal engine arrangement generally found in rear-wheel drive and...
car with its roots in the
Volkswagen PoloThe Volkswagen Polo is a supermini car manufactured by Volkswagen. It is sold in Europe and other markets worldwide in hatchback, saloon, coupé and estate variants.-History:...
. The Ibiza allowed the company to start building its rallying experience, and was officially engaged in some European national championships. The years went by and little success followed until a 2L version of the Ibiza was
homologatedHomologation is a technical term, derived from the Greek homologeo for "to agree", which is generally used in English to signify the granting of approval by an official authority...
as a kit-car, and extra wide tracks, larger wheels, brakes, etc, were fitted to it as the
Fédération Internationale de l'AutomobileThe Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, commonly referred to as the FIA, is a non-profit association established as the Association Internationale des Automobile Clubs Reconnus on June 20, 1904 to represent the interests of motoring organisations and motor car users...
(FIA) kit-car regulations allow. With these attributes, the car succeeded three times the 2L
World Champion ('96, '97, '98), proving its maker had accumulated enough experience, and budgets, to take a chance at the reign category, the
World Rally CarWorld Rally Car is a term used to describe racing automobiles built to the specification set by the FIA, the international motorsports governing body, and used to compete in the outright class of the World Rally Championship...
class of rallying cars.
SEATs three conquests of the 2L FIA title, and the sport's popularity in
SpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.
[The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though España , Estado español and Nación española are used interchangeably...]
, probably convinced
Volkswagen GroupVolkswagen Group is a German automobile manufacturing group, currently the third largest automobile maker in the world, and the largest in Europe...
management to go further, and allocate sufficient budgets to the
SEAT SportSEAT Sport is the motorsport division of the Spanish automobile manufacturer SEAT. It has competed in rallying and touring car racing.- Rallying :...
department so as to allow it a chance to reach its goal. This situation came to an end in September 2000, when the company's, German upper management revoked its decision, and budgets, forcing SEAT Sport to retire from the World Rally Championship. The absence of convincing results must have obviously helped the management's decision.
SEATs project to build a WRC-spec car was officially announced during the 1997 San Remo rally. It was in 1998 that the
SEAT CórdobaThe SEAT Córdoba is the saloon, estate and coupé version of the supermini SEAT Ibiza, built by Spanish automaker SEAT from 1993 to 2008. It is named after a city in Central Argentina, where several famous rally events have been held in the past...
WRC was first enrolled by the company to compete at the highest level of WRC racing. The Córdoba was based on the family saloon of the same name but was, naturally, a WRC class car. It had a
4 cylinderThe inline-four engine or straight-four engine is a four-cylinder internal combustion engine with all four cylinders mounted in a straight line, or plane along the crankcase. The single bank of cylinders may be oriented in either a vertical or an inclined plane with all the pistons driving a...
turbochargedA turbocharger, or turbo, is a gas compressor that is used for forced-induction of an internal combustion engine. A form of supercharger, the purpose of a turbocharger is to increase the density of air entering the engine to create more power...
petrol engineA petrol engine is an internal combustion engine with spark-ignition, designed to run on petrol and similar volatile fuels....
, permanent
four-wheel driveFour-wheel drive, 4WD, 4x4 , or AWD is a four-wheeled vehicle with a drivetrain that allows all four wheels to receive torque from the engine simultaneously...
, and active differentials were involved in its transmission. However, the short
wheelbaseIn both road and rail vehicles, the wheelbase is the distance between the centers of the front and rear wheels.- Road :In automobiles, the wheelbase is the horizontal distance between the center of the front wheel, and the center of the rear wheel...
and high-mounted engine (compared to its rivals) worked against the Córdoba, and results weren't impressive. Despite hiring ex-WRC champion
Didier AuriolDidier Auriol is a French rally driver.Born in Montpellier, and initially an ambulance driver, Auriol made his name as a French rally driver in the World Rally Championship throughout the 1990s. He became World Rally Champion in 1994, the first from his country to do so...
, and a new
evolutionIn biology, evolution is change in the genetic material of a population of organisms from one generation to the next. Though changes produced in any one generation are normally small, differences accumulate with each generation and can, over time, cause substantial changes in the population, a...
of the car, SEAT pulled out of international rallying at the end of 2000.
Touring cars
In 2003, SEAT announced a one-make championship for the new
SEAT LeónThe SEAT León is a small family car built by the Spanish car manufacturer SEAT since 1999. It uses the Volkswagen Group A platform and shares other components with the Volkswagen Golf, Volkswagen Jetta, Audi TT, Audi A3 and Škoda Octavia....
Cupra R, the
SEAT Cupra ChallengeThe SEAT Cupra Challenge is an auto racing championship founded by the Spanish car company SEAT. It was first staged in 2003. featuring a field of identical Cupra cars supplied directly from the factory...
.
In 2004, SEAT with
Ray Mallock Ltd.Ray Mallock Ltd., also known as RML Group, is a motorsports racing team and engineering company. In 2009, RML is engaged in the Le Mans Series and British Touring Car Championship under its own name, and the World Touring Car Championship as the works Chevrolet team.-Early history:Ray Mallock began...
(RML) entered the
British Touring Car ChampionshipThe British Touring Car Championship is a touring car racing series held each year in the United Kingdom. The Championship was established in 1958 as the British Saloon Car Championship and has run to various rules over the years – "production cars", then FIA Group 1 or 2 in the late 1960s...
, running two
SEAT ToledoThe SEAT Toledo is an automobile built and marketed by Spanish automaker SEAT, a division of the Volkswagen Group . The Toledo name was first introduced to the SEAT line-up in May 1991, with the third and current generation was introduced in late 2004 as a 2005 model year car.-Mk1 :The initial...
Cupra for former-BTCC Champion
Jason PlatoJason Plato is a British racing car driver. He was 2001 BTCC champion, and has finished in the top 5 in the championship 10 times.-Biography:Plato was educated at The King's School, Tynemouth....
, and 2003 León UK Champion,
Rob HuffRobert "Rob" Huff of Britain is part of Chevrolet's WTCC motor racing team, driving the Chevrolet Cruze alongside the more experienced Alain Menu and former Formula One driver Nicola Larini, who he initially regarded as heroes but has gradually learnt to see as equals.-Early years:A Christmas Day...
. In 2005, Huff left to join
ChevroletChevrolet is a brand of automobile produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant in 1911, Chevrolet was acquired by General Motors in 1917...
(run by RML in the
World Touring Car ChampionshipThe World Touring Car Championship is an international Touring Car championship organised by the FIA.The first WTCC, which was open to Group A Touring Cars, was held in 1987 concurrent to the long-running European Touring Car Championship...
(WTCC), and he was replaced by 2004 Leon Champion
James PickfordJames Pickford is an English race car driver, born 30 April 1979 in Macclesfield, Cheshire. As a child his interest was in motorbikes; his father Keith ran bike racing teams. However, as with Damon Hill his mother led him towards the relatively safe world of car racing, beginning in karts in 1994....
, and
Luke HinesLuke Hines is a British auto racing driver, he is the son of former karting champion and Zip Kart founder/owner Martin Hines. After a small amount of open wheel racing in Formula Ford, Luke entered the Production Class of the BTCC in 2003, with the Barwell Motorsport team. He was the class...
as SEAT expanded to three cars, now run by Northern South. 2006 saw the Toledo replaced by the new
LeónThe SEAT León is a small family car built by the Spanish car manufacturer SEAT since 1999. It uses the Volkswagen Group A platform and shares other components with the Volkswagen Golf, Volkswagen Jetta, Audi TT, Audi A3 and Škoda Octavia....
, and
Darren TurnerDarren Turner is an English racing driver. He was McLaren Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year in 1996. He is a former test driver for the McLaren Formula One team, but has raced primarily in touring cars and sportscars since 2000. He spent 2 years in the DTM for Keke Rosberg's...
joined the team with
James ThompsonJames Thompson is the name of:* James Thompson , Catholic priest hanged under Elizabeth I* James Thompson , congressman and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania...
when his WTCC commitments allowed. 2007 was SEAT's best year in BTCC, as Plato was locked in a season-long battle with
Fabrizio GiovanardiFabrizio Giovanardi is an Italian racecar driver.-Career history:Fabrizio began his career karting before switching to Italian Formula 3. In 1989 he switched to Formula 3000 to compete with First Racing and won the race at Vallelunga.A move to touring cars brought better results, as he claimed the...
, which came down to the final race of the season, but just missed out on the title.
Since 2005, SEAT has also competed in the
World Touring Car ChampionshipThe World Touring Car Championship is an international Touring Car championship organised by the FIA.The first WTCC, which was open to Group A Touring Cars, was held in 1987 concurrent to the long-running European Touring Car Championship...
, with its best season being 2007, where a failed
water pumpWater Pump is one of the neighbourhoods of Gulberg Town in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. It is near main Water Pump that supplies fresh water to the city of Karachi....
robbed
Yvan MullerYvan Muller is a French auto racing driver most noted for success in Touring Car and Ice racing.-Single-seaters:...
of certain victory at the final meeting in
MacauThe Macau Special Administrative Region , commonly known as Macau or Macao , is one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China, the other being Hong Kong...
. SEAT utilised
AudiAUDI AG, is a German company which produces luxury cars under the Audi brand, . It is part of the Volkswagen Group. The name Audi is based on a Latin translation of the surname of the founder August Horch, itself the German word for “listen!"Audi is headquartered in Ingolstadt, Bavaria, Germany.It...
's pioneering
diesel engineA diesel engine is an internal combustion engine that uses the heat of compression to initiate ignition to burn the fuel, which is injected into the combustion chamber during the final stage of compression...
technology (from the Audi R10 TDI
LMP1A Le Mans Prototype is a type of sports prototype race car most notably used in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, American Le Mans Series and Le Mans Series...
) in touring cars, when they became the first team to run a
TDITurbocharged Direct Injection is the technology used to describe and name modern turbocharged diesel engines produced by Volkswagen Group, and widely used in all marques of passenger cars and light commercial vehicles produced by the company .TDI is a registered trademark of Volkswagen...
in the WTCC. French racing team
OrecaOreca is a French racing team, founded and run by Hugues de Chaunac, former team manager of F1 team AGS. Oreca has had success in many areas of motorsport since the early 90s, running the works BMW operation in the French Supertouring Championship, winning the FIA GT Championship and the Le Mans 24...
cooperates with the WTCC team. SEAT's UK team followed suit in the 2008 BTCC. The BTCC team was sponsored by
Holiday InnHoliday Inn is a brand of hotels within the InterContinental Hotels Group .-History:The original Holiday Inn chain of hotels was created in 1952 in Memphis, Tennessee, by homebuilder Kemmons Wilson to provide inexpensive family accommodation for travelers within the United States...
.
On the 11th September 2008 SEAT UK announced that it was to withdraw from all motor sport activity in the UK at the end of the season. The SEAT Cupra Championship and the SEAT BTCC campaign are to end at Brands Hatch on the 21st September. BTCC drivers Jason Plato and Darren Turner have been left without drives for 2009.
At the opening of the 2009 WTCC, SEAT placed 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th in both races in Brazil. At the second meeting of the WTCC (in Mexico), the SEAT team placed 1st, 4th, 6th, 7th and 11th in the first race. The second race they placed 1st, 3rd, 7th, and 8th. While SEAT may have withdrawn from the BTCC, they are showing impressive results in the WTCC.
Earlier models
- 600/800
The SEAT 600 was a Spanish car made by SEAT from 1957 to 1973. It helped to start the economic recovery after the hard years following the Spanish Civil War...
- 850
The SEAT 850 was a car based upon the Fiat 850. It had 2 and 4-door versions. The 2-door was very similar to the Italian car, but the 4-door version was unique for Seat. The car was produced in Spain from 1966 to 1974 and it was quite popular in that time....
- 1200 Sport
The SEAT 1200 Sport is a 2-door coupé produced by SEAT from 1975 to 1979. It was based upon the underpinnings of a Fiat 127, but with the bigger 1197 cc engine of from the SEAT 124, which in this application was transversely mounted and canted forwards by 16°. This engine gave the little 2+2...
- 1400
The first car produced by SEAT, the SEAT 1400 was a rebranded Fiat 1400, itself Fiat’s first integrated chassis model. The car was a small four door sedan: components were shipped as CKD kits from Italy and assembled by SEAT at their new plant near Barcelona between 1953 and...
- 1430
The SEAT 1430 was a 4-door sedan made by SEAT in Spain from 1969 to 1972. The car shared the body and underpinnings of a 124, but the front lights were square instead of round....
- 1500
The SEAT 1500 was a Spanish-built 6-seater model of saloon and estate cars, based on the Italian Fiat 1800. The 1500 was the successor to the SEAT 1400 C: it was manufactured between 1963 and 1970, with the five door estate version arriving in 1965...
- 124
- 127
- 128
The SEAT 128 was a 2-door hatchback coupé version of a Fiat 128. In Spain, only the two-door hatchback version was available with two engine options, the 1.2L and the more powerful and well-known 1430 engine...
- 131
- 132
The Seat 132 is a four door rear wheel drive notchback saloon assembled in Barcelona's zona franca, and sold by SEAT between 1973 and 1982...
- 133
The SEAT 133 was a small rear-engine car designed and sold by SEAT in Spain from 1974 to 1979. The car used the chassis and engine of the by then defunct Fiat/SEAT 850 and featured a new body in the style of the contemporary, somewhat smaller and only indirectly related Fiat 126.The car was first...
- Fura
The SEAT Fura is a supermini produced by Spanish automaker SEAT from 1981 to 1986. The Fura is a rebadged version of the Fiat 127, available in three and five-door hatchback bodystyles....
- Panda
- Ritmo
- Ronda
The SEAT Ronda is a small family car produced by Spanish automaker SEAT from 1982 to 1986. The car is a version of a Fiat Ritmo redesigned just enough so that Fiat could not sue SEAT on the basis of patent infringement after 1980 when Fiat abandoned their cooperation with SEAT...
- Terra
- Inca
The SEAT Inca is a panel van, manufactured between 1995 and 2003. It was designed and assembled in Spain by SEAT, S.A., and based upon the SEAT Ibiza Mk2 , with which it shared its chassis and front body panels...
- Málaga
The SEAT Málaga is a four-door saloon produced by Spanish automaker SEAT from 1985 to 1992. It can be considered a saloon variant of the first-generation SEAT Ibiza hatchback, which was launched the same year. The underpinnings of both the Málaga and the Ibiza were based upon those of the SEAT...
- Marbella
The SEAT Marbella was a badge-engineered Fiat Panda , produced by SEAT in Spain from 1986 until 1998.Previously, the model was called SEAT Panda and was a direct clone of the Fiat Panda model, but its name and some parts had to be changed because of a break in the relationship with Fiat...
- Arosa
The SEAT Arosa is a city car from the Spanish automaker SEAT, a subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group, built between 1997 and 2005.The 1st generation was in production between 1997 and 1999...
- Córdoba
The SEAT Córdoba is the saloon, estate and coupé version of the supermini SEAT Ibiza, built by Spanish automaker SEAT from 1993 to 2008. It is named after a city in Central Argentina, where several famous rally events have been held in the past...
- Toledo
The SEAT Toledo is an automobile built and marketed by Spanish automaker SEAT, a division of the Volkswagen Group . The Toledo name was first introduced to the SEAT line-up in May 1991, with the third and current generation was introduced in late 2004 as a 2005 model year car.-Mk1 :The initial...
Current models
Current models are mostly named after Spanish placenames.
- Ibiza/Ibiza SC
The SEAT Ibiza is a car constructed and marketed in the European supermini class, sold under the Spanish SEAT marque.Introduced in 1984, it was initially manufactured by SEAT S.A., based on joint venture designs from Fiat...
- León
The SEAT León is a small family car built by the Spanish car manufacturer SEAT since 1999. It uses the Volkswagen Group A platform and shares other components with the Volkswagen Golf, Volkswagen Jetta, Audi TT, Audi A3 and Škoda Octavia....
- Altea/Altea XL/Altea Freetrack
The SEAT Altea is a compact MPV produced by Spanish automaker SEAT, S.A. and named after Altea, Spain. The vehicle was designed by the Italian Walter de'Silva and launched in 2004 as the first example of SEAT's new corporate look...
- Exeo/Exeo ST
The SEAT Exeo is a new mid-size car, and flagship model built by the Spanish car manufacturer, and Volkswagen Group subsidiary SEAT, S.A., from December 2008 onwards...
- Alhambra
The SEAT Alhambra is a large MPV by the Volkswagen Group and sold under the SEAT brand. It has been on sale since 1996 and, apart from a major restyling in 2000, it is very similar to the original model. An all-new replacement is expected near the end of the decade, to line up next to the Altea and...
Concept models
- Proto
The SEAT Proto T , the SEAT Proto C and the SEAT Proto TL are all concept cars designed for SEAT by Giorgetto Giugiaro's Italdesign.-SEAT Proto C :Brakes and tires*Driveline: Front wheel drive...
T ( 1989 ) & C , TL ( 1990 )
- Concepto T
The SEAT T Coupe Concept car is a prototype of the Spanish car company SEAT. It was designed by the Center Prototype SEAT in Spain and was introduced at the Paris Auto Salon 1992. It is a 2 +2 coupe seats on the basis of the first generation SEAT Toledo...
( 1992 )& Cabrio( 1993 )
- Bolero
The SEAT Bolero 330 BT is a concept car presented at the 1998 Geneva Salon International de l’Auto. It featuring a four-seater, four-door sports-coupé inspired family saloon car body style...
( 1998 )
- Formula
The SEAT Formula is a concept car developed by Spanish carmaker SEAT. The first concept for the car was shown in 2000, but eight years on, it has yet to enter production....
( 2000 )
- Salsa/Salsa Emoción
The SEAT Salsa is a concept car presented at the 2000 Geneva Motor Show. Featuring a three-door coupé body style, it is powered by a 2.8L 24 valve V6 engine....
( 2000 )
- Tango/Tango Racer
The SEAT Tango is a concept car presented at the 2001 Frankfurt Motor Show. Featuring a two-door two-seater roadster body style, it is powered by a version of Volkswagen Group's 1.8L 20VT engine which transmits the horsepower to the front wheels....
( 2001 )
- Cupra GT
The Seat Cupra GT is a concept car made by car manufacturer SEAT and introduced at the 2003 Barcelona Motor Show. SEAT worked with SEAT Sport to design the racer with the essence of the Salsa and Tango concept cars. Although it's a sports car, it is powered by a small 3 litre V6 engine...
( 2003 )
- Altea Freetrack prototype ( 2007 )
- Tribu
The SEAT Tribu is a compact crossover SUV to be built by Spanish automaker SEAT, S.A.. The concept car was shown at the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show and featured three doors and four bucket seats...
prototype ( 2007 )
- Bocanegra
SEAT Bocanegra is a supermini concept car, built by Spanish automaker SEAT. It was presented at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show. The Seat Bocanegra is a three-door supermini that is designed by former Lamborghini designer Luc Donckerwolke...
( 2008 )
- León Twin drive
The SEAT León Twin drive is an electrically-driven vehicle prototype presented at the SEAT Technical Centre on May 2009 in front of Spanish officials as well as members of Volkswagen’s Executive committee, representing a plan - with a time-scale stretching to 2014 - to carry out research over...
( 2009 )
External links