Seat was founded in Martorell near Barcelona in 1950 and expanded across Europe in the following decades.
Seat
was founded in 1950 as a state company in Spain.
In the first decades, the vehicles were based on identical
models
from Fiat.
The
car brand's
best-selling model
is the Leon with over 2 million copies.
Barcelona -
Seat
has developed into one of the most popular
car brands in
Germany
in a relatively short time
.
After the resounding success of its inexpensive mid-range vehicles, the Spaniards recently achieved a new hit with their SUV.
Seat: the history of the car brand
Seat
was founded in 1950 during the Spanish military dictatorship under
Franco
as
Sociedad Española de Automóviles de Turismo
.
The company was 51 percent owned by the state, 42 percent by Spanish banks and 7 percent by the Italian
Fiat group
.
He also provided the blueprints for the first
Seat
models
: the Seat 1400 A, which rolled off the production line in 1953 as the first Spanish car, corresponded to the Fiat 1400.
The
Seat 600, a copy of the Fiat 600, became the
first best seller in the
history
of Seat in 1957. The inexpensive microcar allowed many Spaniards to buy their own car for the first time.
The construction of Spanish vehicles under license had a system in Franco's Spain, as the import of foreign cars was almost impossible and the development of an independent
car brand was
hampered by the limited sales opportunities in their own country.
Seat after the end of the Franco dictatorship
After Franco's death in 1975, the political change began in Spain, which was considered complete by 1982.
The successful cooperation between
Seat
and Fiat failed because of Fiat's refusal to agree to a capital increase.
As its first own
model
, the Spanish
car brand presented
the Seat Ibiza in 1984, which is now in its fifth generation.
To this end, Seat started a cooperation with the German
Volkswagen AG
.
It was supposed to sell Seat vehicles in Germany, while Seat produced Volkswagen models in Spain.
In 1989 a new, greatly enlarged plant was opened at the headquarters in Martorell near Barcelona.
The
car brand's
image
got
a boost
with the
1992 Summer Olympics
when the Seat Toledo (based on the VW Golf) served as the official Olympic car.
Seat today
From 2000 to 2009,
Seat was
part of the sporty group around Audi at Volkswagen.
Several Seat models competed in international rallies and other motorsport competitions.
At the same time, Seat was able to increase its market shares in numerous European countries.
The sports car division was spun off under the independent CUPRA brand in 2018, while the core brand Seat is once again increasingly focusing on solid small and medium-sized cars.
Seat: Well-known models at a glance
Since the
Seat
1400, the
car brand
has brought the
following
models
onto the market:
Period |
Seat model |
Identical in construction to |
1953-1964 |
Seat 1400 |
Fiat 1400 |
1957-1973 |
Seat 600 |
Fiat 600 |
1979-1985 |
Seat Panda (later Marbella) |
Fiat Panda |
1979-1983 |
Seat Ritmo (later Ronda) |
Fiat Ritmo |
1991-1999 |
Toledo |
VW Golf II + III |
1993-1999 |
Cordoba |
VW Polo |
since 1999 |
Leon |
Skoda Octavia |
1995-2010 |
Alhambra |
VW Sharan |
2008-2013 |
Exeo |
Audi A4 |
2004-2015 |
Altea |
VW Touran I / Golf V / Audi TT / Skoda Octavia II |
since 2011 |
Mii |
VW Up! / Skoda Citigo |
since 2016 |
Ateca |
VW T-Roc / Skoda Karoq |
In addition to the Seat Ibiza, the only "original" Seat model, the
car brand
also continues production of the Seat Leon.
In 2020 the Seat Leon IV was presented, which is based on the same kit as the VW Golf VIII and the Audi A3 8Y.
With the Mii Electric, Seat presented the first electric vehicle.
Seat: Board of Directors
Seat SA has been part of the Volkswagen Group since 1986.
After
Luca de Meo's
resignation
from the
board
,
Wayne Griffith was
appointed as the new CEO on October 1, 2020.
To this end,
Herbert Steiner was
appointed as the new Board Member for Production and Logistics on November 1, 2000.
