BEIJING, 23.04.2012 – SEAT IS UNDERSCORING ITS COMMITMENT TO CHINA WITH A STRONG PRESENCE AT THE BEIJING MOTOR SHOW. FOLLOWING THE MARKET LAUNCH OF THE LEON, THE NEW IBIZA IS SET TO EXPAND THE SPANISH BRAND’S LINE-UP ON THE CHINESE MARKET, WITH THE ALHAMBRA ALSO LIKELY TO APPEAR AT A LATER DATE. THE IBIZA CUPRA CONCEPT MAKES ITS WORLD PREMIERE IN BEIJING AS A CLOSE-TO-PRODUCTION TASTER OF THE NEW GENERATION OF THIS SUPER-SPORTY BRAND ICON. FURTHERMORE, ON 24 APRIL, NEW SEAT SHOWROOMS AND DEALERSHIPS WILL OPEN SIMULTANEOUSLY IN EIGHT MAJOR CHINESE CITIES, ACCOMPANIED BY THE HANDOVER OF THE FIRST SEAT LEON TO THEIR NEW OWNERS.
“SEAT has arrived in China. We are launching our success story on this market with our state-of-the-art, attractive city showrooms and with the SEAT Leon as the entry model,” says James Muir, Chairman of SEAT. “Here in China, we are observing a groundswell of increasingly discerning customers that want to differentiate themselves with their cars. SEAT stands for emotional design and state of the art engineering, for guaranteed driving fun mile-for-mile. Our unique combination of design and performance, of technology and precision secures for us an enormous potential within this key marketplace.”
NEW CORPORATE IDENTITY REFLECTS BRAND VALUES
At the Beijing Motor Show, SEAT’s show stand displays the new SEAT corporate identity. Characterised by a bright, expansive design, with, warm and welcoming colours, it reflects the design philosophy and the core values of the Spanish brand – clear, precise and distinctive in a highly attractive way. All the new showrooms in China are already designed in line with this new brand identity, which is scheduled for implementation worldwide.
BIZA CUPRA CONCEPT – OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE, REDEFINED
At the Motor Show in Beijing, SEAT is presenting the Ibiza CUPRA as a close-to-production concept car as a world premiere, underlining the brand’s commitment to its stated objective of market expansion.
The Ibiza CUPRA Concept epitomises SEAT’s sporty DNA in its most concentrated form – outstanding performance, state-of-the-art technology and extensive equipment, all clad in an emotional design that has been carefully and consistently developed. With its compact form, the Ibiza CUPRA Concept is a sports car for every day. It combines agile driving fun with a high degree of functionality. As a subsequent series-production model, the CUPRA will crown the Ibiza model range in China, too.
REBIRTH OF THE DYNAMIC ICON OF THE SEAT BRAND
The first generation of the Ibiza CUPRA took to the road in 1996, since when the dynamic CUPRA models have developed to become an icon of the SEAT brand. With the close-to-production Ibiza CUPRA Concept in Beijing, SEAT is showing how the next chapter in this success story will be written – the state-of-the-art 1.4 TSI engine is a compact piece of hi-tech with dual forced induction via supercharger and turbocharger, plus direct injection. Furthermore, its 132 kW / 180 hp and 250 Newton metres of torque guarantee exceptionally refined performance.
THE NEW IBIZA REINFORCES UNIQUE POSITIONING
Following the market launch of the Leon, SEAT is expanding its line-up in China with the new Ibiza as an import vehicle produced in Spain. With its stunning design, the Ibiza fits perfectly to the unique positioning of the SEAT brand on the Chinese market and reinforces SEAT’s reputation as a pioneer of emotional automotive design. The compact model from Spain combines its expressive appearance with technological competence, absolute precision and outstanding quality – in keeping with the German DNA of the Spanish brand as part of the Volkswagen Group. The new Ibiza will be offered in all three versions – the five-door Ibiza that is as dynamic as it is practical, the three-door Ibiza SC Sport Coupé and the Ibiza ST, the most beautiful estate car in its segment.
ALHAMBRA FULFILS GROWING DEMAND FOR PREMIUM MPVS
The award-winning Alhambra also features on the SEAT stand in Beijing – with the dynamic and flexible Multi Purpose Vehicle, SEAT is responding to a distinct trend in the rapidly growing Chinese car market – sporty leisure vehicles with a high degree of functionality are currently experiencing a considerable increase in demand. Using the Beijing Motor Show as an opportunity to gauge initial public reaction, the Alhambra could join the SEAT line-up in China in 2013 – also as an import model produced in Europe.
LAUNCH IN EIGHT HIGHLY DYNAMIC URBAN REGIONS
The official launch date for the SEAT showrooms on the Chinese market is 24 April, when new showrooms and dealerships will be opened simultaneously in eight of the country’s major cities – in Changsha, Chengdu, Chongqing, Nanjing, Shenzhen, Suzhou, Wuhan and Zhengzhou. All of the showrooms feature state-of-the-art and exclusive design in line with the new SEAT brand identity. They convey a unique brand experience for all the senses. Each showroom opening on 24 April will take place in the presence of a member of SEAT’s top management team.
The SEAT dealer network in China will expand further over the next few months, reaching 15 operations by the end of 2012. This summer will see showrooms open in Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Nanning, Xi’an und Xiamen, with Beijing and Shanghai following. Each sales and service centre is operated by an experienced and highly motivated investor and partner.
Text by: Clásicos al Volante.
