• Consolidation of over 15,000 jobs in Spain thanks to SEAT
• Two new models will soon extend the Spanish brand’s range
• Government rebates for the purchase of new cars show positive results While making his introduction of SEAT’s new products at the Barcelona Motor Show, company president Erich Schmitt announced significant projects with a view to the very near future and the Spanish brand’s efforts to consolidate more than 15,000 jobs.
During his presentation of the new Ibiza Bocanegra, Schmitt also announced the arrival of new models to the SEAT range. “With the Ibiza ST we are going to extend the Ibiza range in the first half of 2010”, and later added that “we will also be entering a new segment beneath the Ibiza. Using the basis of the VW Group’s New Small Family Car, which will be manufactured in Bratislava, SEAT is planning to launch a car aimed at a very young target”.
With all these new product launches, SEAT is “more poised than ever to face the future”, declared Schmitt.
Next, the SEAT president stressed how much the brand has improved in terms of quality, by making reference to the fourth place earned by SEAT in customer satisfaction in Europe according to a study made by a prestigious international institution.
Furthermore, making reference to the manufacturing concession of the new Audi Q3 to the Martorell factory, he went on to say that the foundation stone of the new Workshop 6 will be laid this May, which is where Audi’s new model will be exclusively manufactured, providing proof once again of improvements SEAT is making in terms of quality. “With over 300 robots, this new workshop will be the most modern in the world, and will be located in Spain”, said the company president.
Besides, Schmitt underlined the importance the Audi Q3 will have for SEAT’s Martorell factory and Spain’s automobile industry alike. He said “the production of Audi’s new model, as well as the manufacturing of new models in the SEAT range, will enable us to consolidate more than 15,000 jobs, both in SEAT and our suppliers”.
Nonetheless, he stressed the need to reduce production costs compared to international competition and added “this does not mean we have to reduce our employees’ salaries, but that we have to develop solutions that enable us to increase staff productivity”.
Before finishing, he praised the positive results the government rebate plans are having on the purchase of new cars in other countries. Thanks to these initiatives, the German market grew by 19.4% in April and SEAT car registrations in Germany have increased by 53.3%. Meanwhile, sales in the Spain have decreased by nearly 45%. To this effect, Schmitt concluded by saying that “our market has nevertheless witnessed a positive outlook this last month thanks to the introduction of the Plan Prever in Navarra. These plans are no doubt a winning solution for everybody – the company, employees and the entire world, since the CO2 emissions levels of a new car are always much lower”.
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