- Germany, the UK, Austria, Italy and Algeria, some of the countries where SEAT posts double digit growth
- CUPRA sales triple in January driven by the launch of the new CUPRA Ateca
- The Tarraco reaches dealerships this month and is set to boost sales in 2019
SEAT’s global sales at the beginning of 2019 matched the positive trend of recent years. In January, the carmaker delivered 44,500 cars, which is the highest sales volume ever posted for a month of January and 14.2% more than the record breaking figure of 38,900 vehicles achieved in the same month in 2018. With this result, SEAT is beginning a new year of growth after reaching the highest sales figures in the 68-year history of the company in 2018 with 517,600 vehicle deliveries (10.5% more than in 2017).
The new CUPRA* brand made a positive contribution to January’s result as its deliveries tripled compared to the same month in 2017 to reach 1,800 units sold (*note: this result is integrated in SEAT’s total sales figure).
SEAT UK posted an impressive 31.4% growth compared to its strong January 2018 performance, in a UK market that was down by 1.6% overall this year, notching up 5,522 registrations, boosting its market share to 3.4%.
Richard Harrison, Managing Director of SEAT UK said: “Seeing our market share surge from 2.6% in January 2018 to 3.4% is a tremendous way to start the year. Our star performer so far is the multi-award-winning Arona, with close to 1,500 customers choosing the model that has just been crowned 2019 What Car? Small SUV of the Year. With our all-new large SUV Tarraco coming to the market in the next few weeks, and CUPRA Ateca already winning a coveted Whatcar? Award as best performance SUV, we are on the road to another successful year.”
SEAT Vice-president for Marketing and Sales Wayne Griffiths underlined that “the sharp increase in sales in January makes us optimistic about SEAT’s sales progress in 2019. Similar to 2018, this year will be full of challenges. We have full confidence in the four pillars of the brand (Ibiza, Arona, Leon and Ateca) and in the addition of the new Tarraco to the range, which will enable us to give our sales figures an additional boost in 2019. The contribution made by CUPRA, and more specifically the CUPRA Ateca, will also be a key driver of growth this year”.
In January, the core countries where SEAT operates maintained the positive trend of 2018. Spain leads the results with 8,400 vehicle deliveries (+4.3%) and SEAT remains the top-selling brand in the country. SEAT deliveries saw double digit growth in Germany (7,800 cars; +20.3%) and the UK (5,500; +29.0%), as well as in other key markets for the brand, such as Austria (2,300; +22.0%), Italy (1,800; +12.9%), the Netherlands (1,600; +72.2%), Poland (900; +12.6%) and Portugal (800; +25.7%).
SEAT is also growing strongly in the two main countries where it is present outside Europe. The carmaker delivered 3,100 vehicles in Algeria in January, which is 40.9% more than in the same month in 2018, while in Mexico, SEAT sold 2,300 cars, which represents 23.4% more than the previous month of January.
SEAT is the only company that designs, develops, manufactures and markets cars in Spain. A member of the Volkswagen Group, the multinational has its headquarters in Martorell (Barcelona), exporting 80% of its vehicles, and is present in over 80 countries on all five continents. In 2018, SEAT sold 517,600 cars, the highest amount in the brand’s 68 years of history.
The SEAT Group employs more than 15,000 professionals and has three production centres – Barcelona, El Prat de Llobregat and Martorell, where it manufactures the highly successful Ibiza, Arona and Leon. Additionally, the company produces the Ateca and the Toledo in the Czech Republic, the Tarraco in Germany, the Alhambra in Portugal and the Mii in Slovakia.
The multinational has a Technical Centre, which operates as a knowledge hub that brings together 1,000 engineers who are focussed on developing innovation for Spain’s largest industrial investor in R&D. SEAT already features the latest connectivity technology in its vehicle range and is currently engaged in the company’s global digitalisation process to promote the mobility of the future.
