SEAT celebrates a sixth successive year of growth, with more to come.

• 18% sales growth sees SEAT UK achieve sixth UK sales record in a row – posting 53,512 registrations in 2014, up 8,200 units on 2013
• Records smashed across the board for SEAT retail and fleet sales, UK car market share, as well as Ibiza and Leon sales
• Market share up almost two percentage points to 2.16%
• Performance in retail sales up by impressive 24.2% to 29,901 and 11.2% in fleet to 23,611
• Buoyant Leon range sales, plus impressive return from ever-popular Ibiza family drive the sporty Spanish carmarker to best ever UK performance
• SEAT international sales increased by over 10% in same period

For the sixth consecutive year, SEAT has smashed its UK sales record. Selling 53,512 cars in total, the sporty Spanish brand gained 18.1% on 2013. Outpacing the UK car market’s own growth by nearly 100%, the firm narrowly missed out on chasing down both Honda and MINI, with market share up too, from 2% to 2.16%.

Just as crucially, SEAT performed well in the right channels. Its retail sales rocketed upwards by almost a quarter to 29,901, while its fleet team more than held its own, posting 23,611 sales, a substantial increase of 11.2% on the 21,239 in 2013.

Within SEAT’s six–model line-up, the Leon family led the charge, outstripping the iconic Ibiza for the first time. With 23,125 sales, no doubt its sizeable awards haul in 2014, as well as the full year impacts of its SC (Sports Coupé) and ST (Sports Tourer) derivatives aided its 50.8% gain on the year before. Chasing it hard was the three-model Ibiza range, ending the year on 22,500. Again, shattering another SEAT UK record, up 13.8% on 2013.

Commenting on its latest set of impressive sales figures, SEAT UK Director Neil Williamson, said, “To set another sales record in the UK is fantastic and I’d like to take the opportunity to thank the SEAT UK team, as well as our dealer partners, in achieving such a superb result for 2014. There’s a real sense of momentum with our brand at the moment, which we’ll be looking to capitalise on in the months ahead, with unsurprisingly, yet more ambitious growth targets to hit.

“We’ve made great strides in fleet and retail over the last couple of years, so as well as cementing our position in both in 2015, the most pleasing thing for me will be the upgrading of our UK dealer network. It’s a huge undertaking to install our new corporate identity across  130-plus sites, but I’m confident the more modern and upmarket look will allow us to deliver an even greater customer experience, in line with the desirability and high quality of our cars.”

SEAT delivered 390,500 cars internationally in 2014

SEAT ended 2014 having delivered 390,500 internationally, 10% more than in 2013 (355,000), its best achievement since 2007. As a result, SEAT has accumulated 21.7% growth in the last two years alone, having found homes for almost 70,000 vehicles more than in 2012 (321,000). 

The UK cemented its position as the brand’s third largest market, behind Spain and Germany.

SEAT sales have been largely boosted by the Leon family. In 2014, it saw a 50% increase, rising to 154,100 units, 51,300 more than the previous year. 

Since the launch of the new generation in 2012 – the first with three different bodystyles – the Leon has more than doubled its sales, and has posted a 116% increase (2012: 71,200 vehicles). It has also achieved the best sales results since its launch in 1999, and for the first time has replaced the Ibiza as SEAT’s best-selling car.

The ST estate version of the Leon, launched at the end of 2013, accounted for a healthy volume of 47,100 units – 30.5% of the model’s overall figure. The brand’s MPV, the SEAT Alhambra, also achieved double-digit growth in 2014, exceeding 23,000 units (23,100; +15.6%).

SEAT Executive Committee Chairman Jürgen Stackmann, made a satisfactory assessment of these results. “For the second year running SEAT sales have seen double-digit growth. 

The Leon family has been a turning point in our history. It has become the second pillar of the brand and has opened the door to new customers.” Stackmann said of 2015: “Our goal is to consolidate growth. The range is going to grow and be renewed this year, starting with the models we already have, and we are getting ready for the immediate future – the arrival of the compact SUV in 2016.”

SEAT set to withdraw from Russian Market after massive sales slump.

Volkswagen's Spanish subsidiary, Seat, will stop selling cars in Russia by early next year because of the country's economic downturn and weakening ruble.

Car sales have fallen sharply as Russia's struggles because of Western sanctions over Moscow's role in the crisis in Ukraine and a drop in the oil price.

"The Seat brand is stopping sales of new cars in Russia from Jan. 1, 2015, due to the contraction of sectors in which it is represented, the general economic situation in Russia and currency rate fluctuations," a spokesman for VW's Russian operations said on Tuesday.

Russian new-car sales were down 10 percent year-on-year in October and 13 percent in the first 10 months as the ruble's decline and worries about the economy forced consumers to delay making large purchases.

Seat sales halved last month to just 78 units, while its 10-month sales were down 57 percent at 1,324, according to data from the Association of European Businesses lobby group.

In 2013, Seat sold 3,375 cars in Russia, despite a forecast by VW Group in 2012 that the brand would achieve sales of 5,000 to 20,000 cars a year.

Seat outlined its plans for Russia at the 2012 Moscow auto show. At the time, then-chairman James Muir said: "We see great potential for Seat in markets like Russia. Great design, high quality, outstanding engineering and innovative technology bring something new and fresh to the dynamic Russian automotive market."

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New special edition added to SEAT range, offers better design and tech.

• I-TECH launches across Mii, Ibiza, Toledo, Altea and Alhambra ranges, bringing together design and technology in one special edition
• Alloy wheels with titanium finish, I-TECH badging and detailing inside and out for every model
• New versions offer customer savings of up to £480 (depending on model)
• Mii by MANGO is flying off the shelf - over 100 sold already - more than twice SEAT UK’s own pre-launch sales forecast

Marrying its hallmarks of design and technology, SEAT has launched a new special edition, I-TECH, across most of its UK line-up. Offering customer savings of up to £480 compared to buying each of the equipment items separately, the new versions feature on the Mii, Ibiza, Toledo, Altea and Alhambra ranges.

The first member of the SEAT family to welcome the new addition is Mii. Replacing the former Toca version, I-TECH nestles between SE and Sport, costing £9,995 in 3-door guise, and £10,345 in 5-door. It’s powered by a nippy 1.0-litre 60 PS engine, offering a super-frugal 62.8 miles per gallon.

Well specified, the I-TECH touches come in the form of 14-inch ‘Spirited’ alloy wheels with titanium finish, a smart I-TECH key cover and black upholstery with gloss grey dashboard panel. SEAT Portable System Live is also part of the package, offering sat nav, Bluetooth® phone connection with audio streaming, micro SD card slot and integrated trip computer functions.

The best-selling I-TECH range is likely to be Ibiza, which offers it on each of its three bodystyles, SC, 5-door and ST. Fitting snuggly between Toca and the new ‘30 Years’ special edition, it comes based on SE, with prices starting from £13,790. It joins the sporty FR using the highly regarded 1.2 TSI 105 PS engine, combined with a manual gearbox.

On the street, the latest addition is immediately distinguishable through its 16-inch ‘Cartago’ alloy wheels with titanium finish and B-pillar I-TECH badges.

It also ushers in a smart, contemporary look on the inside, with unique dark blue cloth and simil leather upholstery with embossed I-TECH logo. Buyers also get a set of I-TECH floor mats, key cover and door sill plates.

The compact, yet cavernous Toledo, also welcomes I-TECH to the range. Going straight in as its new flagship, over and above SE, it offers 16-inch ‘Design’ alloy wheels with titanium finish, grey alcantara and black simil leather upholstery, metallic dashboard inlays, plus I-TECH badges on the side and an I-TECH key cover. The new versions cost £17,015 and £18,870, equating to a £500 premium, but a customer saving of almost £200 compared to buying the items separately.

Replacing the former Copa, I-TECH is also available on Altea and Altea XL. Giving it impressive ease-of-use and practicality, it benefits from sliding rear seats, dual-zone climate control, electric front and rear windows, Hill Hold Control, plus front and rear parking sensors.

Ideal for those ferrying kids around, whether it be on short school runs, or more epic journeys, there’s a central roof-mounted TFT screen in the rear. Which, with a bit of luck, should offer the added benefit of providing precious moments of relative tranquillity in the front too. The driver and passenger meanwhile, can entertain themselves with the SEAT Media System 2.2, including satellite navigation, five-inch colour touchscreen, DAB radio, SD card slot and Bluetooth®.

It rides high in the comfort and style stakes too, with 16-inch ‘Elio’ alloy wheels with titanium finish, auto headlights and rain sensing wipers.

Rounding off its appeal to family buyers is its uncompromising safety level, including a total of eight airbags and a tyre pressure monitoring system. Pricing for the Altea I-TECH range starts at £19,345 for the 1.6 TDI Ecomotive, rising to £20,865 for the XL 2.0 TDI 140.

The fifth and final member of the SEAT stable to benefit from I-TECH’s introduction is Alhambra. Slotting in between SE and SE Lux, it offers a comprehensive list of equipment, representing a customer saving of £480, with 17-inch ‘Dynamic’ alloy wheels with titanium finish, sport-style front seats, chrome and black brushed interior and keyless entry & go. Like its compact Altea sibling, it also boasts the SEAT Media System 2.2, including satellite navigation, five-inch colour touchscreen, DAB radio, SD card slot and Bluetooth®.

Powered by the 2.0 TDI 140, Alhambra I-TECH is available with either manual or auto transmission, costing £28,630 or £29,915.

Mii by MANGO – flying off the shelf

Only launched on 1 August, SEAT’s uber-stylish Mii by MANGO looks like being this season’s “must have” city car. Literally flying off the shelves, at more than twice the rate SEAT UK predicted, over 100 have already been sold. In fact, two-thirds were snapped up by style-savvy buyers even before demonstration cars had arrived in dealers.

Created in partnership with the well-renowned Spanish fashion house, the flagship versions are bound to turn heads. Available in a choice of two contemporary shades at no extra cost, Deep Black metallic or Nude custom paint, Mii by MANGO comes accessorised with 15-inch contrasting alloy wheels and door mirrors (Atom grey or silver) and chrome door strips, plus exclusive badging on the B-pillar and rear.

It’s just as appealing on the inside too, with Alcantara upholstery and black simil leather with Nude contrast piping, together with centre console and air vent surrounds picked out in the same eye-catching shade.

Prices for Mii by MANGO start at £10,995, with fashionista types being urged to order one as soon as possible to snap up one of the few remaining 30 MANGO accessory packs. The launch offer of £500 MANGO vouchers for the first 100 customers has already completely sold out.

SEAT grows sales accross Europe and UK benefits with exceptional growth.

• SEAT UK first-half 2014 sales up 20.2% compared to 2013, to record 27,342 units and market share of 2.1%
• Impressive 32.2% surge in retail sales, led by Ibiza and Leon
• Ibiza becomes sixth best-selling supermini in UK June retail market
• SEAT international sales increased by 9.9% between January and June 2014

SEAT’s inexorable rise continues, as the brand’s just reported a new half-year sales record in the UK. For the third consecutive year, the Spanish brand eclipsed its previous year’s sales performance between January and June. This time, it rocketed by over 20% to 27,342 units, eclipsing its 2013 performance by a considerable 4,590 units.

Led by a stellar Leon performance, and the continued success of Ibiza, SEAT outpaced the UK market’s own 10% growth by a further 10%. One of the most impressive statistics in the figures, recently revealed by the SMMT, was the Latin firm’s 32.2% surge in retail sales, to 15,341 and a market share increase of 0.4% to 2.5%.

Within SEAT’s six-model line-up, the ever-popular Ibiza range spearheaded the charge, with 11,897 sales. It narrowly held off the surging Leon, at 11,481, boosted by the recent impact of the ST (1,800) and flagship Cupra. Notably, 1,577 Ibizas found homes with retail customers in June, up over 21% on the same month last year.

Commenting on its latest set of impressive sales figures, SEAT UK Director Neil Williamson, said, “It’s been a great week. Only a few days ago, we collected three prestigious trophies at the Auto Express awards and now here we are celebrating our best-ever first-half sales results in the UK. It’s a tremendous result and one the team and our Retailer partners should be very proud of. We’re on track for our most successful year ever, but with several more launches in the pipeline and a focus on both retail and fleet business in the months ahead, we won’t be resting on our laurels any time soon.”

Looking ahead, a series of new and recent introductions, are set to bolster SEAT’s performance even further. The recent introduction of I-TECH special editions across the Mii, Ibiza, Toledo, Altea and Alhambra ranges, plus the special edition Ibiza 30 years, to celebrate its latest milestone, are sure to cement the brand’s standing.

The striking new Mii by MANGO is already getting in on the act, with 50 examples having already been snapped up even before it officially launches in showrooms on 1^st August. Not to be outdone, the Leon range gains a new member of the family too. In September, when ordering opens, the four-wheel-drive X-PERIENCE joins the ST fold, giving SEAT a presence in the growing compact crossover/off-roader segment.

SEAT soars internationally – best result for six years with sales up almost 10%

SEAT’s impressive sales success was mirrored outside the UK too. The brand ended the first half of 2014 having delivered 200,200 vehicles, 9.9% more than in the first half of 2013 (182,200). Posting its best result in the last six years, it even exceeded the figure of 200,000 units delivered for the first half of a year since the beginning of the economic crisis in 2008.

Main European markets boost sales

SEAT increased deliveries by 10.5% in Western Europe for the first half of the year (158,300; 143,300 in 2013) and achieved a market share of 2.5% (2013: 2.4%).

Growth in production and jobs at Martorell

Martorell, the production plant where the majority of SEAT vehicles are built, closed the first six months of the year with 11.1% growth compared to the same period in 2013, with a total of 239,100 units built, almost 24,000 more (2013; 215,200). Thanks mainly to the increase in production of the Leon, this year more than 550 temporary workers have been hired by SEAT; and in March a third shift was added to the line producing the Leon.