SEAT is changing. The Spanish brand faces a future that is very different from its past or its present. The plans of the Volkswagen Group include making CUPRA the substitute brand for SEAT. This does not mean that the Germans want to make the firm from Martorell disappear, but they do want to modify their approach for the coming years. It is the most delayed brand of the group in the field of electrification, and nothing indicates that they will launch something on the market in the short or medium term.
Back in 2019, everyone assumed that the Born would hit the market under the SEAT brand.. A compact electric twin of the Volkswagen ID.3 that would relaunch the Spanish brand for the sake of electrified mobility. However, the plans changed quickly and it was CUPRA that ended up receiving the popular electric car. Since then many voices have warned of the disappearance of the brand or the change of role within the structure of the Volkswagen Group.
Everything indicates that SEAT is going to position itself as the cheapest brand of the German conglomerate. A few days ago, Werner Tietz, SEAT’s head of R&D, was interviewed by the British media Coach, which maintains close ties with those of Martorell. In said interview, the head of development acknowledged: “We believe that we have to concentrate on electrifying CUPRA, when component prices go down, batteries and ‘electric machines’ are cheaper, then we can discuss and consider talking about SEAT again”.
The stagnation in the launching and updating of SEAT products does not bode well and prosperous years for the Spanish house. The SEAT Arona and the León pull the sales car. The SEAT Ateca is not badly positioned, but there are no replacements in sight. The engineers do not move, replacement models are not glimpsed, and in such a fast-changing industry, none of these factors bodes well for the future. SEAT trusts in a lowering of the price of electric cars, but the market, the industry and the prices dictate the opposite.
In the same interview, Tiez himself assured that SEAT still has a future and that it will not be cannibalized by its own CUPRA sub-brand. Nevertheless, no one can deny that CUPRA has gained a lot of prominence in the Volkswagen Group in a short time. Last week we attended a great event in which the work of the next three years was anticipated. CUPRA Terramar, CUPRA UrbanRebel and CUPRA Tavascan will be the three new models that will join the company’s ranks, in addition to a completely new generation for the Leon. Can the same be said of SEAT?
Until the prices do not drop SEAT will not launch itself for the electric ones, that is clear. In the past that strategy has not gone so badly for them. The SEAT Mii Electric won many fans due to its excellent qualities and its attractive price. It is possible that SEAT wants to become an affordable electric brand, but, At the moment, with all the plans frozen, predicting something exactly is quite complicated. Recently, an internal report from the works council sparked the rumor of his disappearance, but we insist that it is early to lay all the cards on the table.
