Munich International Motor Show
The seat doesn’t disappear. Thomas Shaffer, Volkswagen’s CEO, pointed out at the Munich International Motor Show that „Seat’s horizon is painted with the name Cupra.” The report is setting off all the alarms in the auto industry that the Martoral-based automobile manufacturer may disappear. In conversations with this newspaper, Seat has denied the disappearance of the brand from the market and confirmed that it will continue its expansion plans focusing on improving its models. Ibiza, Arona and Leon.
„There have been false reports in some media that the Volkswagen Group will stop manufacturing cars under the Seat brand. The brand is stronger than ever„Sales are up 18% so far this year, with 199,000 cars sold, as the semiconductor situation began to improve,” brand sources explained in conversations with this newspaper within the framework of the IAA. Munich Mobility.
Additionally, the aforementioned sources have confirmed the brand’s upcoming plans. „We intend to develop the SEAT Ibiza, Arona and León to continue offering low-consumption plug-in hybrid cars until the end of the combustion era,” they said. A few statements confirming that the seed has not disappeared.
Seat is a historic Spanish brand born in 1950. The Volkswagen Group bought the Spanish brand in 1990 and acquired 99% of the company. After this merger, Seat developed new models, but little by little efforts were made to change the brand. Seat’s premium brand, Cupra, has positioned itself as the most modern and sporty brand within the group. Like it Citroen Forming a brand within its group called DS, the Cupra shared a name and integrated seating.
The seat doesn’t disappear
The Cupra managed to sell the same units in the first six months of the year till 2022. 107,300 units Registered worldwide by end of June 2023. A growth of almost 57% compared to the same period of the previous year, which is due to the improvement in the supply of components to the factories – after the impact of the chips crisis – and the resolution of logistics problems.
The figures lead the company to achieve a new record since its launch in February 2018, so Cupra sales are already high 40% of sales All seats.
Proposals at the Munich Motor Show
First, the group plans to commission its second power plant in 2024 Premium Platform Electric (PPE), the Audi and Porsche brands will be jointly developed. It will have a „powerful and efficient” electric transmission with a range of over 600 kilometers and charging with 800 volt technology.
In addition, it plans to upgrade the MEB platform MEB+ with „shorter loading times” and new models by 2025. Volkswagen, Skoda and Cupra With prices below 25,000 euros.
Volkswagen It is in talks with Indian automobile giant Mahindra as it wants to use components of the MEB platform such as e-Drive or Unified Cell. Finally, with a new mobility platform being developed in partnership with Europcar, the group wants to expand bicycle rental by the hour to the year.
