Seat

SEAT (pronounced say-at) is a Spanish motor company owned by The Volkswagen Automotive Group. It employs around 11,000 people, and offers a wide range of cars comprising the Alhambra, Altea, Altea XL, Altea Freetrack 4, Exeo, Ibiza and Leon - all imbued with strong, individual design and a sporty character.

The word SEAT is an acronym of the original company name: Sociedad Española de Automóviles de Turismo. The firm's production is concentrated at the ultra-modern Martorell plant, near Barcelona.

SEAT began its UK operations in September 1985, registering no fewer than 24 cars in its first month - 405 for the year! That number soon grew to more than 10,000 by 1988. A decade later it was 18,500-plus and by the year 2000 SEAT was selling upwards of 20,000 cars in the UK. In 2008 SEAT registered 29,397 cars, with the exciting new Ibiza 5dr and sporty Ibiza SC contributing significantly to that total.

SEAT also operates a strong international motorsport programme comprising participation in the FIA World Touring Car Championship. Reigning WTCC champions, with the 2008 manufacturers' and drivers' titles to its name, SEAT Sport continues to campaign its mould-breaking Leon 2.0 TDI - the first diesel car to win races in both the BTCC and WTCC.

www.seat.co.uk