Will the SEAT car-building brand disappear?

[ruidebraga]

I don't know if you saw this news, it's been 2 days ago.
It may come as a surprise, or it may not.
But for me, who bought a SEAT Leon FR 3 months ago, it didn't leave me indifferent..

Iconic Spanish Car Brand Seat Confirmed To Be Replaced By Cupra In The Near Future

The Spanish car brand Seat is set to disappear from the market with the advance of electric vehicles.

euroweeklynews.com

 

[Alex667]

It's been rumoured for a while that they'd potentially be shutting/rebranding wholly over to Cupra.

 

['Little' John]

It was inevitable once they started downplaying the Cupra name and heritage by making lower powered variants. If you have the full range of trims and powertrains in the Cupra why bother selling the Seat version at a lower price?

 

[leonlad]

so over priced seat`s to be even more overpriced as cupra from now on.

 

[Tell]

Least my local Seat garage will be able to sell Cupra... speaking of which it had a Formentor on show. Have I missed something ?.

It was the sparse Cupra network in the UK, the issue with the bells and whistles going onto the Cupra models and Seats being less attractive after the brand split (if you wanted the luxury non Seat brand goodies of VAG, panoramic roof, electric tailgate etc as they were dropped as options).

May be market segmentation didn't work for the Vag group as they hoped. Manufacturing of electric for some Cupra models going to China in that relationship that VAG have struck up with that Chinese company. Cupra brand being worth more than the Seat brand.

I'll be able to load up the front screen Cupra on my diesel Ateca with pride . That grill logo. The graphics are preloaded just a parameter in coding.

 

[tracktoy]

Yes Seat brand will be around till 2030 but thereafter will be mobility vehicles and specialised urban stuff like the Renault Twizy according to this article back in may this year https://www.ynetnews.com/business/article/h1hx6elb3

 

[Tell]

Question is how they rationalise their Seat / Cupra dealerships converting the Seat ones into Cupra again. Existing Seat owners won't be too upset about taking the leap to Cupra, might be about the price thou. Wont know that till the time. Perhaps shipping two near identical cars from China and making them their didn't make sense so the Spanish plant got axed against the Chinese one. Investment going there than Spain. Possibly the answer of what happened purely on investment and production costs. Probably all be mused over on the Spanish Seat / Cupra boards. One too many European factories when they switched production to China. Interesting times.

They have had a division there for a while:

Volkswagen Group China - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

 

[MoToJoJo]

It'd be a genuine shame for SEAT to disappear.

I get the whole CUPRA brand idea but their marketing lingo makes it difficult for me to ever consider buying one.

 

[tracktoy]

Afraid its a done deal, based on whats going on in the Chinese Auto market and what we have seen at the Munich car show I think VW have lots of issues to resolve and the competition does not have an expensive Legacy business to run down.

I also think we are going to see more Labor issues (it's already started in the us) as the new car production process requires much fewer people in both direct and indirect manufacturing so people are going to loose there jobs.

Me I am running my Leon into the ground as it gives me everything I want so dont see the point is renewing.

 

[Tell]

Ditto with the Ateca then will go EV in 2030 .

 

[tracktoy]

And then the french want a trade war https://www.politico.eu/article/france-breton-eu-chief-hit-back-against-chinese-electric-vehicles/

 

[Peller]

I knew this was coming. I jumped ship from Seat Cupra model. When they start putting 1.5l engines in an Cupra Ateca the game is over. Just another brand. I'll stick with BMW M or AMG. Unfortunately Cupra is another diluted brand of the VW empire

 

[Tell]

Seat dealers seem slightly on tender hooks, watch this space. Said factory has another 5 years to run so nothing is going to happen immediately. You can view it as a relaunch of Seat but putting the Cupra name in front and substantial production in China. Going up market. May be the thinking if made in China better give it some glamour like MG. Don't have any info but I dont see it as a problem. Rejigging production and branding. The Spanish factory might not see it like that. Pass. I didnt like the way the luxury extras were dropped from Seat as they split Cupra from Seat. Dealership network meant if you wanted the luxury bits you had to travel. I like my electric tailgate, virtual pedal, panoramic roof, heated front windscreen. Seat became the Wilko brand with the Cupra split . Practical brand lacking on luxury extras.

 

[tracktoy]

If you are watching the finacial press and what is going on in the US the big automotive companies are starting to think more about direct selling than via a dealer network, Add to that (and BMW Are doing it as well) they will start to fit cars with kit that you can rent or buy over the air, no need to visit dealers. BMW Tried it with heated seats which they have had to pull I believe but VAG made a point about this process a couple years ago its more money for them. With regards to the Built in China well the French have already made it clear not interested just like the US.

My understanding is the Seat Brand is in wind down but the factory can be repurposed to be a Cupra Factory

 

[Tell]

The French wont persuade the EU. I personally dont have an issue with well built Chinease equipment. Happy to drive Vag cars made in China.

 

[MoToJoJo]

The move to China is likely partly based on EV production being easier there.

Unfortunately the whole 'Made in China' thing has become a synonym for built not to last. Of course there's good stuff made in China but too many people see it as a bad thing after bad experiences.

Will this affect how the Cupra brand is perceived? Remains to be seen

 

[Tell]

It's like Californian wine, it can be rubbish.

My Chinese made American fridge / freezer is very good, no trouble, ditto the 65" TV. The HP laptop is solid.

Trumps war on China to make America Great again. The moaners don't moan about their iPhones. Chinese screws provided with door bells are rubbish, ditto door latches. On screws you inspect them. Suspect a Cupra made in China won't be made with screws where the head comes off. Fall back on my Californian wine one. I won't buy it after drinking it in Hawaii for a month. No QA grading on it. Better off with old world wines plus Australia / NZ, Argentina and Chilean. Anything but American on wines. Japan... No not their wines either.

 

[tracktoy]

The move to China is likely partly based on EV production being easier there.

Unfortunately the whole 'Made in China' thing has become a synonym for built not to last. Of course there's good stuff made in China but too many people see it as a bad thing after bad experiences.

Will this affect how the Cupra brand is perceived? Remains to be seen

Just like Hong Kong used to be, then they started going up market and quality got better.

Personally I think how cars are perceived is going to be about the tech on the cars and how long it last's, so far the Chinese are well ahead but VAG have a history of sorting it out in the end.

 

[tracktoy]

The French wont persuade the EU. I personally dont have an issue with well built Chinease equipment. Happy to drive Vag cars made in China.

Maybe not but they have done it in the domestic market already, you wont get the cash subsidy unless it meets the rules (just like the us)

 

[Tell]

so far the Chinese are well ahead but VAG have a history of sorting it out in the end.

Why they have paired with a Chinese company may be.

A spin off of the Tavascan already so it appears.

Rebadged Cupra Tavascan For China Spotted Testing | Carscoops

VW will establish a new sub-brand in China and its first model will be a rebadged Cupra Tavascan

www.carscoops.com

The original

Cupra Tavascan - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

Keeping an eye Tavascan.

Seems to be the Sol brand enabled the Seat brand to bite the dust in China as a brand leaving Cupra as the "New brand" abroad. You'd kind of expect any sub brands of Cupra abroad from the factory would be Sol not Seat if they were ever exported. But that's not going to happen since those sub brands of Cupra will be for the Chinese market only, modded in China from Cupra Spanish designs. Probably here is the clue. You have to check out EV factory plans for VAG elsewhere in Europe.

JAC Group - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

JAC being the VAG partner.

That reworked model will be a Sol brand in China whilst all exports from the plant will be Cupra. Least what I reckon is going on. If the Chinese factory is the source of all of the Spanish design VAG big EV models then they will be Cupra badged. That Chinese agreement dictated the re branding of Seat back into Cupra / potential disappearance linked to the Sol brand in China... clear as mud.

Expect we wait for the official word on how all of this is rolled out to dealerships.