Volkswagen's Decisions Signal Changes at SEAT

Volkswagen’s Decisions Signal Changes at SEAT

Written by Bruno Teles

Published on 05/09/2023 at 18:27

A história da Seat, que começou com tanta promessa em 1950, está no limbo. O Grupo Volkswagen está apostando suas fichas na submarca Cupra e, pelo visto, pode deixar a histórica fabricante espanhola na poeira. O futuro parece apontar para uma transformação na identidade da marca, que pode incluir desde scooters elétricos a outras soluções de mobilidade. (IMAGEM POR MIDJOURNEY)

Be the first to react!

The Decline In Seat Sales Raises Questions About The Future Of The Spanish Brand That May Be Reformatted Under The Leadership Of The Volkswagen Group.

In the automotive corridors, the expression “if you don’t evolve, you fall behind” has never sounded so true. The case of Seat, the Spanish automaker, is a clear example. If you’re out of the loop, here it is: from January to July 2023, the brand sold only 155,355 vehicles.

This figure placed it in a discouraging 19th position in the European market. The situation worsened further with the Covid-19 pandemic, and now, the Volkswagen Group, its “corporate parent,” seems to have plans to turn this page.

“A Different Role”: What The Volkswagen Group Has In Mind?

Thomas Schäfer, the CEO of the Volkswagen Group, put an end to speculation by stating that a “different role” is on the horizon for Seat. Rumors indicate that it may be transformed into a mobility company.

ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW

Internal Competition And The Shadow Of Cupra

Who’s stealing the spotlight is Cupra, which started as a sport line of Seat and now has its own identity. The younger, bolder brand has been recording much more significant sales, almost leaving its “mother” behind. Meanwhile, Seat, the only brand from the Volkswagen Group that has yet to take the leap into the future of electric cars, may soon be just a memory.

If you think this whole conversation has nothing to do with Brazil, rewind that tape. Seat had its glamor period here between 1995 and 2002, brought by none other than Volkswagen. It didn’t last long, it’s true, but it left its mark on the country’s automotive history.

Volkswagen’s Decisions Signal Changes at SEAT

The Decline In Seat Sales Raises Questions About The Future Of The Spanish Brand That May Be Reformatted Under The Leadership Of The Volkswagen Group.

“A Different Role”: What The Volkswagen Group Has In Mind?

Internal Competition And The Shadow Of Cupra

Engineers want to carve through Africa with a giant canal to bring water from the world’s second-largest river to a dying lake on the edge of the Sahara Desert that has already lost 90% of its water.

A giant brown band visible from space, approximately 8,850 kilometers long, connected Africa to America in the Atlantic Ocean, and satellites revealed that it is neither land nor pollution, but the largest accumulation of seaweed in the world, which broke records in 2025.

Workers were opening a modern road in Dover when they found, 6 meters below the asphalt, a 3,500-year-old boat made of stitched oak and plant fibers.

Instead of burning or burying old tires, an American city is transforming about 2,000 of them into the street itself, paving its first sections with a quieter and more durable rubber asphalt.

In just one cast, fishermen are surprised to capture 14,096 mullets in Bombinhas and close a historic season with 58,000 fish; scene recorded in the Santa Catarina paradise marks the last day of the 2026 season.

Consumers eat six times more chicken than in the 1960s, global meat supply quadruples in 60 years, and FAO report reveals the invisible cost on the plate: livestock could drive 80% of the increase in agricultural emissions over the next decade.

Motorcyclist sees excavator arriving at the edge of a river in Bosnia, calls neighbors in minutes and turns a hydroelectric project into a resistance lasting more than 10 years with five expired concessions.

Saudi Arabia launched the first hydrogen truck that drives itself and travels 1,500 kilometers without stopping.

Residents saw a flash before dawn in Mexico, Pemex refinery became the focus of an oily leak, removed 549 m³ of fossil fuels and raised an alert in a lagoon used by fishermen.

Spray technology promises to shield electrical cables against severe storms and prevent blackouts caused by the weight of ice in winter.

A dredge pulled from the river mud in the United States 19 giant cannons weighing over 450 kilograms that had been forgotten at the bottom for almost 250 years and had once fired in the American War of Independence.

Construction material store starts selling modular units that resemble small houses, assembled in a few days in the backyard, as the housing crisis pushes families towards unconventional solutions in Australia.

Volkswagen’s Decisions Signal Changes at SEAT

The Decline In Seat Sales Raises Questions About The Future Of The Spanish Brand That May Be Reformatted Under The Leadership Of The Volkswagen Group.

“A Different Role”: What The Volkswagen Group Has In Mind?

Internal Competition And The Shadow Of Cupra

Engineers want to carve through Africa with a giant canal to bring water from the world’s second-largest river to a dying lake on the edge of the Sahara Desert that has already lost 90% of its water.

A giant brown band visible from space, approximately 8,850 kilometers long, connected Africa to America in the Atlantic Ocean, and satellites revealed that it is neither land nor pollution, but the largest accumulation of seaweed in the world, which broke records in 2025.

Workers were opening a modern road in Dover when they found, 6 meters below the asphalt, a 3,500-year-old boat made of stitched oak and plant fibers.

Instead of burning or burying old tires, an American city is transforming about 2,000 of them into the street itself, paving its first sections with a quieter and more durable rubber asphalt.

In just one cast, fishermen are surprised to capture 14,096 mullets in Bombinhas and close a historic season with 58,000 fish; scene recorded in the Santa Catarina paradise marks the last day of the 2026 season.

Consumers eat six times more chicken than in the 1960s, global meat supply quadruples in 60 years, and FAO report reveals the invisible cost on the plate: livestock could drive 80% of the increase in agricultural emissions over the next decade.

Motorcyclist sees excavator arriving at the edge of a river in Bosnia, calls neighbors in minutes and turns a hydroelectric project into a resistance lasting more than 10 years with five expired concessions.

Stellantis considers producing cars from the Chinese company Dongfeng at a factory in Brazil and may boost a new phase for compacts, pickups, and SUVs.

Mitsubishi Triton with a 2.4 turbo diesel engine of 205 hp, 47.9 kgfm of torque, and a 6-speed automatic transmission becomes up to R$ 31,000 cheaper and threatens the reign of Hilux and Ranger.

More economical than the Toyota Yaris Cross, the new Renault Duster 1.0 turbo achieves an impressive 19.4 km/l, delivers 100 hp, and shows why the SUV that Brazil won’t have anytime soon has become a global highlight.

Volkswagen SP2 seemed too weak to be sporty, but its national design has spanned 50 years, seduced foreign collectors, and transformed a 75 hp coupe into a rare piece, while fans fear that foreigners will take away one of Brazil’s most beautiful cars.

The “L” on the automatic transmission may seem like a detail, but it hides a low gear that helps the car climb better, descend more safely, and save the brakes.

Saudi Arabia launched the first hydrogen truck that drives itself and travels 1,500 kilometers without stopping.

Residents saw a flash before dawn in Mexico, Pemex refinery became the focus of an oily leak, removed 549 m³ of fossil fuels and raised an alert in a lagoon used by fishermen.

Spray technology promises to shield electrical cables against severe storms and prevent blackouts caused by the weight of ice in winter.

A dredge pulled from the river mud in the United States 19 giant cannons weighing over 450 kilograms that had been forgotten at the bottom for almost 250 years and had once fired in the American War of Independence.

Construction material store starts selling modular units that resemble small houses, assembled in a few days in the backyard, as the housing crisis pushes families towards unconventional solutions in Australia.