As part of a €3.3bn (US$3.7bn) investment, SEAT will be significantly upgrading its R&D equipment and facilities at the SEAT Technical Center and the Martorell factory in Spain between 2015 and 2019. This spend, which is the largest in the history of SEAT for new models, will go toward launching four new vehicles in the next two years.
“These models are part of an ambitious plan to continue to strengthen the brand and boost sales, which have been growing consistently since 2013. The spending on innovation ensures competitiveness and employment, and secures the future,” said SEAT Executive Committee president, Jürgen Stackmann.
Dr Francisco Javier García Sanz, member of the Board of Management, Volkswagen AG, commented, “Spain is a key country in the group’s strategy. These resources underscore our commitment as a driver of the Spanish economy and represent a guarantee for the future.
“The €3.3bn will strengthen SEAT’s position within the Volkswagen Group and as the country’s main industrial investor in R&D.”
SEAT is the only car maker which, bolstered by its own Technical Center, has the capacity to design and develop vehicles in Spain. In the last five years, the company has spent €1.4bn on R&D.
September 16, 2015