SEAT has Sights on Russia, One of Key Emerging Markets

SEAT reinforces its presence in Russia and strengthens its international expansion plans. The Spanish company, participating in the Moscow Motor Show opening today, has opened a new chapter hand-in-hand with the Volkswagen Group importer to profit from the experience of the company in this market.

So far this year SEAT has doubled the size of its network in Russia, and already has 22 dealerships there – located in Moscow and St. Petersburg, plus other major cities such as Yekaterinburg, Chelyabinsk, Nizhny Novgorod, Kazan and Rostov-on-Don. SEAT will open three new dealerships before year’s end, bringing the total number to 25, from 10 at the beginning of the year. The aim of opening further dealerships is to cover most of the regions of the European part of the country.

At the Moscow Motor Show – the country’s most important annual automotive industry event – SEAT has announced the growth of the product range in Russia with the start of sales of the brand’s MPV Alhambra this autumn. The Alhambra is in addition to the three models currently marketed in Russia: three versions of the Ibiza (3-door, 5-door, estate), the Leon and the crossover Altea Freetrack –the peak of the SEAT range in Russia–, all of which are built at the Martorell plant. Besides these four models, SEAT is also displaying the IBx, a hybrid crossover concept car than won accolades from the press and public at last year Geneva Motor Show for its winning combination of design and outstanding versatility.

Since Russia is a priority market for SEAT in both the short- and long-term, it has its own infrastructure in Moscow in charge of rolling out the development plan. Russia is a country with strong growth potential, and which aspires to make itself the largest car market in Europe over the next few years. In 2011 more than 2.6 million cars were sold – a figure beaten only by Germany (almost 3.2 million units) – and sales have grown 14.3% during the first half of 2012, exceeding 1.4 million vehicles.