SEAT will add a third SUV to its range in 2018, which will join the popular Ateca and new Arona in our expanding line-up.
The new model – which wasn’t named when it was announced at the SEAT annual press conference yesterday (23 March) – will include five- and seven-seat options. It will be built at Volkswagen’s Wolfsburg factory in Germany.
It was also announced that the Arona, due later in 2017, will be built at Martorell.
Luca de Meo, President of SEAT SA, said of the news: “This car will bring new customers to us, will boost brand image and will have a very big effect on our ability to generate margins. It will be designed in Barcelona and made in Germany. Producing the new SUV in Wolfsburg, in the heart of the Group, will reinforce the ties between SEAT and Volkswagen”.
SEAT achieved best financial results ever in 2016
SEAT finished 2016 with an operating profit of €143 million, and profit after tax of €232 million. This is the first time the brand has been in profit for both indicators for the first time since 2007 – as well as the highest operating profit in its history.
The launch of the Ateca in 2016, combined with the best sales result of the Leon and the Alhambra since their launch, meant SEAT has a fourth consecutive year of sales growth. There were 408,700 vehicles sold during the year – which is nearly a 30-per-cent increase in the past four years and the best result since 2007.
Luca de Meo added: “Higher levels of sales, higher mix and cost optimisation lead us to profitability. We as a team are very proud of our operating profit.”
“SEAT has become a solid company that moved clearly from recovery to a consolidation phase. And SEAT is now preparing itself for development and growth,” he added.