NEWS

SEAT president James Muir has killed off the brand’s famous Auto Emocion slogan because he felt no one knew what it meant. The catchline debuted on the Leon and Arosa models 10 years ago, but now fans of the brand will no longer hear it whispered at the end of TV adverts. ‘Yes, that’s right, [...]

SEAT president James Muir has revealed he wants the Spanish brand to emulate the success of sister firm Skoda. Muir – formerly top brass at Mazda and Ford in Europe – said he felt the fact Seat hadn’t been able to match the heady heights of the Czech firm has been ‘tragic’. ‘They have done [...]

HERE’S the most interesting and talked about stories over the past five days, collated and summarised by us. Monday, November 14 OFSTED has declared Toyota’s UK-based automotive and engineering training academy as ‘outstanding’. TO celebrate Aston Martin’s Facebook page receiving its one-millionth fan, the firm is letting users help design a one-off car. MERCEDES has [...]

DOBIES Seat’s sales manager is showing his commitment to the brand by embarking on a restoration of a classic Seat. Alan Herring, who heads the sales team at Dobies Seat in Carlisle, is so passionate about the Barcelona-based car maker and its heritage he will attempt to breathe new life into a battered Mk I [...]

SEAT has revealed it’s not just new cars that are selling strongly but its used car sales are also at record levels too. Up to October of this year, Seat’s used car sales to the brand’s 120-plus franchised dealers nationwide are more than 1,300 vehicles up on the same period in 2010. In turn, dealers’ [...]

SEAT is strengthening its presence in the north east with the appointment of a new retail partner. Eastern Western Group – Scotland’s largest privately-owned car retailer – will open its first Seat franchise in Benton, Newcastle, at the end of November. Trading as Western Seat, the new outlet on Bellway Industrial Estate will boast a [...]

A BRAINTREE car retailer has been honoured in the prestigious Essex Business Excellence Awards 2011. Grants Seat scooped the coveted Excellence in Marketing award at last week’s glitzy ceremony at Stock Brook Country Club. The dealership took the heavily contested prize thanks to an innovative and varied programme of marketing activities. The programme was designed [...]

A QASHQAI rival is on the shopping list of Seat’s UK chief – and we wouldn’t bet against his chances of bagging one. Speaking exclusively to Car Dealer at the Frankfurt motor show, Peter Whinney said a 4×4 crossover was a car he thinks would sell extremely well to Seat customers in the UK. The brand’s [...]

SEAT has promised to put a sporting slant on Volkswagen’s Up when it introduces its version next summer. The Spanish brand’s UK managing director told Car Dealer that Seat engineers will be given the freedom to ‘tune the driveability’ of the city car before it’s introduced. ‘We always aim to make our products the most [...]

SEAT has announced that franchise team is on the prowl to appoint a raft of new dealers. The Seat network currently numbers 122 dealers nationwide from large plcs like Sytner and Vertu Motors, through to smaller operations such as Pembrokeshire-based Gareth Hughes Motors. The network also has additional customer support provided by a small quantity of ‘service-only’ [...]

SEAT is celebrating a cluster of impressive sales records – including its best March ever in the UK it has been revealed. The Spanish marque is celebrating not only its best-ever March in absolute terms, but also record market shares for both the crucial month of March and the entire first quarter of 2011. The [...]

AN Uddingston car dealer is celebrating two landmarks this month – 50 years in business and 20 years as a Seat dealer. Family-run dealership W Livingstone hit both milestones this month and marked the occasion with a lavish birthday bash for staff past and present. Founded in 1961 by the late Glaswegian motor trader William [...]

SEAT will launch four models next year in its biggest product offensive to date it has been revealed. With more than 50 per cent of sales generated by the Ibiza, Seat is heavily reliant on one model and needs to change that to reverse its fortunes. This will help address what Seat’s president, James Muir, [...]

ESSEX Auto Group has announced that its new Seat dealership in Southend is now open and ready for business. Significant investment in the facility from both Seat and Essex Auto Group has provided a seven car showroom and state of the art service facilities. ‘We’ve been monitoring Seat’s recent growth and are delighted to have [...]

SPANISH marque Seat is celebrating after increasing its UK market share in 2010. Seat finished 2010 with market share of 1.62 per cent – exceeding its previous best share of 1.50 per cent registered in 2009. The firm also took a December market share of 1.65 per cent matching its previous best of 1.65 per [...]

SEAT is trying to make 2011 more bearable for its dealers by extending and ‘refreshing’ its VAT-free offers. The firm is reporting its VAT-free deals are continuing well into 2011, which are now complemented by a new ½ VAT deal that amounts to a ten per cent discount off, and 0 per cent finance deals selected [...]

THIS car-azy couple are so addicted to SEATs they’ve bought 40 of them in 20 years – all from the same dealer! Retired couple Robin and Margaret Hemmant, of Drayton, Norwich, are so in love with the Spanish brand they’ve owned nearly every one of the maker’s models – some even more than once. Since [...]

ASE’s Dealermatch service has announced the sale of a Milton Keynes dealership to an expanding motor group. Milton Keynes SEAT has been sold to the Wayside Motor Group for an undisclosed sum. This is the second acquisition in recent months that the motor group have made, indicating their appetite to expand and create a string [...]

THE new Seat Alhambra rolls into UK showrooms this week – the first large Seat MPV for 15 years. The all-new model joins the new Volkswagen Sharan as VAG’s first new MPV since 1995. Inside boasts enough room for 7 passengers while 5 seats have the ability to ‘fold-flat’.  The second and third-row seats pivot [...]

ONE of the UK’s oldest Seat dealers opened its doors for a double celebration last week. Formerly known as Alexandra Bridge Cars – one of the oldest Seat dealers in the country – the new Pulman Seat dealership hosted a VIP evening to celebrate the news. Local bands, authentic Spanish cuisine, a Seat Leon touring [...]