Seat

SEAT Ronda

© photo by Hugo90, licence: Attribution

The first cars made by Seat were actually nearly unchangeable versions of FiatFiatItaly, 1899 > present159 models
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models, only to be given the Seat logo and a different model name.

Fiat abandoned the Spanish carmaker in 1981 and then Seat began collaborating with VolkswagenVolkswagenGermany, 1938 > present98 models
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Group’s subsidiary AudiAudiGermany, 1909 > present83 models
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, which would completely own Seat by 1990.

The Spanish automaker built its first 100% Seat car in 1982, the Seat RondaSeat RondaSpain, 1982 > 19865 versions
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, no longer depending on Fiat’s resources, although it indeed originated some conflicts with the former parent Italian brand due to its huge similarity with the Fiat RitmoFiat RitmoItaly, 1978 > 19882 series
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.

Eventually, Seat’s ownership was transferred from Audi to its parent Group, Volkswagen, somewhere in the middle of the 2000s. Although Seat has a somewhat strong presence it the European markets, it still hasn’t expanded more ‘internationally’, being currently preparing to reach the North American market somewhere in the near future.

Up until now, Seat cars only reach countries and continents like South Africa, Middle East and Asia through the Volkswagen Group, which means being rebadged as Volkswagen cars.

Seat has taken a big step into motorsport events since the Volkswagen Group fully took over the Spanish company in 1990, especially because Volkswagen decided on making Seat the Group’s ‘sportier’ brand.

Seat made its first entry at the World Rally Championship with the Seat IbizaSeat IbizaSpain, 1984 > present5 series
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and won some European national championships with the same car. The Ibiza was also three times world champion in the 2L category of the WRC, from 1996 to 1998. However, the Volkwagen Group forced Seat Sport rally team to drop out of the WRC in 2000 by cutting budgets.

The Spanish car brand started a new one-make championship in 2003, the Seat Cupra Challenge, in which only cars from model León Cupra RSeat Leon 2.0 TSI Cupra RSpain, 2009 > present2 photos
could compete. Then, in 2004, the British Touring Car Championship welcomed two Seat ToledoSeat ToledoSpain, 1991 > present4 series
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Cupra cars into its tracks. A new León model would replace the Toledo in the BTCC in 2006.

Seat has also been racing at the World Touring Car Championship since its entry in 2005, having become the first team in that event to enter a TDI vehicle.