SEAT announces significant expansion in China

PRLog (Press Release) - May 17, 2012 - SEAT has announced it is committed to expanding its activities in China, following its strong presence at the Beijing Motor Show and the unveiling of SEAT showrooms in eight major Chinese cities on 24 April 2012.

Sporty leisure vehicles with a high degree of functionality are currently experiencing a considerable increase in demand in China. Following the market launch of the Leon, SEAT continued its response to the rapidly growing Chinese car market by showcasing the new Ibiza CUPRA Concept at the Beijing Motor Show.  Making its world premiere at the event, the Ibiza CUPRA Concept is a close-to-production taster of the new generation of this sporty brand icon.

SEAT also featured the award-winning Alhambra.  Using the Beijing Motor Show as an opportunity to gauge initial public reaction, the Alhambra could join the SEAT line-up in China in 2013, also as an import model produced in Europe.

James Muir, Chairman of SEAT, said: "SEAT has arrived in China. We are launching our success story on this market with our state-of-the-art, attractive city showrooms and with the SEAT Leon as the entry model.

"Here in China, we are observing a groundswell of increasingly discerning customers that want to differentiate themselves with their cars. SEAT stands for emotional design and state-of-the-art engineering, for guaranteed driving fun mile-for-mile. Our unique combination of design and performance, of technology and precision secures for us an enormous potential within this key marketplace."

At the Beijing Motor Show, SEAT's show stand displayed the new SEAT corporate identity. Characterised by a bright, expansive design, with, warm and welcoming colours, it reflected the design philosophy and the core values of the Spanish brand - clear, precise and distinctive in a highly attractive way.

All the new showrooms in China were designed in line with this new brand identity, which is scheduled for implementation worldwide. The cities to receive showrooms were: Changsha, Chengdu, Chongqing, Nanjing, Shenzhen, Suzhou, Wuhan and Zhengzhou.

The SEAT dealer network in China has planned to expand further over the next few months, reaching 15 operations by the end of 2012. This summer will see showrooms open in Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Nanning, Xi’an und Xiamen, with Beijing and Shanghai following.

About SEAT:
SEAT is the only company in its sector with the capacity to design, develop, manufacture and market cars in Spain. It offers a range of new cars (http://www.seat.co.uk/) including, green cars (http://www.seat.co.uk/content/uk/brand/en/models/ecomotiv...), used cars (http://www.seat.co.uk/content/uk/brand/en/used-cars/appro...) and city cars (http://www.seat.co.uk/content/uk/brand/en/models/mii/discover.html). A member of the Volkswagen Group, the multinational has its headquarters in Martorell, near Barcelona, and exports approximately 75% of its production to 72 countries.

SEAT is the market leader in Spain and, in 2010, reached a turnover amounting to 4.7 billion euros, with total sales of 339,500 vehicles.

All new SEAT vehicles purchased from an authorised SEAT dealer in the United Kingdom qualify for a three-year car warranty consisting of a two-year unlimited mileage manufacturer's warranty and a third year warranty with a 60,000 miles limitation.

PR Contact:
Mike Orford
Head of Press and Public Relations
SEAT UK
Delaware Drive
Blakelands
Milton Keynes
MK14 5AN
01908 548077
www.seat.co.uk