Spanish carmaker Seat is set to stop making cars as its sister brand Cupra increases in popularity across the globe.
“The future of Seat is Cupra,” Thomas Schäfer, CEO of Volkswagen Group, told media at the IAA Mobility 2023 show in Germany, reports Autocar.
We understand that Seat won’t be killed off in its entirety, but its purpose will no longer involve producing cars.
That means it will either begin making other types of vehicles or become a mobility brand that manufactures personal transportation like e-scooters.
The reason for such a change is that Schäfer thinks that investing in both brands was “prohibitive” and he considered the value of Cupra to be greater.
This couldn’t ring more true when we consider the Spanish brand is one of the fastest growing in Europe, according to the VW CEO.
“I think it was the right decision in hindsight, but it’s a gamble,” Schäfer told British publication Autocar.
“I’ve seen lots of new names come up and go, but this was a good decision. Cupra is bigger than Alfa Romeo and Polestar, so not just new brands but also old.”
Schäfer added that Seat will continue to support models that are currently in production until their lifecycles end towards the later stages of this decade.
Back in June, the local distributor for Seat said it would no longer sell its cars in New Zealand, with its dealerships set to be replaced by Cupra.
