It was born in 1950 in a joint venture between the Spanish government and the Italian giant Fiat, especially after the takeover by the Volkswagen concern, SEAT really took off. Its flagship model, the the famous Ibiza, has been a true international hit for generations. And the compact Leon can also be included in the column of great successes, as well the Alhambra minivan, which was a rebadged and more affordable version of the best-selling VW Sharan. But after that, the brand began to suffer the rise of Skoda, another VW brand. And here she is now undermined by his own “daughter”: Kupra.

Previous event

We remind you Cupra was originally SEAT’s sports brand. But a little more than 4 years ago, VW strategists decided to give this label full brand status. At first it was supposed to be Spanish sports brandbefore becoming, the European context obliges, sports AND electric brand. In June 2022, something told us. At that time we were invited to Spain for an event to celebrate the 4th anniversary (not even a more special anniversary than this) of Cupra. The party was grand, with thousands of guests (press, influencers, political decision-makers, the executive board of an automotive group), and logistics that we knew probably cost quite a lot.

By the way, Cupra presented its plans for the future, including some models that will appear in the coming months and years. And then we said to ourselves: “Hey, it’s been a while since SEAT announced something really new.” Here we also saw the possibility of the Cupra gradually taking over and that SEAT is inconspicuously placed on the shelves. In 10 months, SEAT announces that the year 2022 marks a 40% drop compared to 2021until During the same period, Cupra grew by 91%.. And still no plans for SEAT, especially nothing electric.

New in April?

So is this the end of SEAT soon? Hard to say. From memory, the new product was announced for… 2026! That is, the whole eternity. A big press conference in April should stand Then we will see if SEAT will update its catalog, begin to phase it out or not The Volkswagen Group has other plans for the name. An inexpensive brand à la Dacia? A “mobility services” brand like Renault’s Mobilize? Answer in a few weeks.