Seat boss: compact cars will remain our core market

Will you a launch a car bigger than your upcoming seven-seat SUV?

“The ceiling is there. Beyond that, we won’t do. Premium is a bit overdone. We’re not a premium brand. We need to match a quality standard, and need to beat the Ateca with this car [the Arona], but the idea with this is to address us being able to offer a family car. This car also generates the profits we need to invest short-term in technology that costs a lot of money.”

Will you launch any extra models outside of your traditional markets? 

“We have cars in the B and C segment, our centre of gravity and speciality is in small and medium cars. We have to find a way to make more money on compact cars. People will always need them and we can offer them those cars.”

Where can you grow?

“Our first phase of growth was to enlarge the product range. Now we have five or six competitive models. You won’t see that product growth rate in the next few years. We will focus on making the next-generation Leon family even stronger. It’s a challenge to use our money, a challenge to invest in powertrain technology like hybrids, electric cars, CNG (compressed natural gas), mild hybrids, plug-in hybrids… You won’t see four new products a year like now. I see growth with more engine variants.

“In the B-segment, we have a five-door and crossover [Ibiza and Arona] and cover 80% of the market. With small coupés and cabriolets, they are not on the agenda and you don’t find a business case for them.”

How can you expand the Cupra range?

“We have the potential to develop Cupra. It’s louder in some markets than others; the concept has potential. We haven’t found a technical set-up yet [for the Ibiza] to be suitable for a very successful hot hatch with a sound business case. The demand is going down so much for these cars that it’s hard to find the volumes. Not in the UK, as it is still there, but in other markets.”