SEAT

punish those who buy a Seat Arona

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There is a way to fill your streets with electric cars. And it does not have to go through aid to those who buy it. Or, at least, it doesn’t just have to go through aid to those who buy it… In Denmark they have another idea: punish those who opt for a combustion car. And that is a slab for cheap gasoline. 65%. So far this year, 15.8% of electric cars sold in Europe are electric. In our country, although we have been growing little by little, we remain in a bare 8%. For now, the European market survives on markets that buy a very high volume of electric cars like germany and countries with a very high penetration of this type of vehicles. Germany and France, which are the countries where, by volume, the most electric cars are purchased, are on the border of 18%, slightly improving the European data. But there are countries where these figures explode. In the Netherlands and Sweden they are close to 35%. Let’s not talk about Norway, with 95%. Let’s talk, instead, about Denmark. Do you help?. Although in most of Europe we have sought success in purchasing aid, perhaps we should start to change our approach. In Spain, the system created for MOVES III Plan is cumbersome and not very transparent for the consumer. Whoever approaches the dealership for an electric car has to take advantage of a 0% loan from the company (if it advances the aid) or wait for more than a year for the money to arrive. If it reaches you. Germany now has one of the Higher electric car purchase rates in Europe and by volume it is the first market. However, it has gone through its ups and downs. At the end of 2023 they withdrew aid for electric cars and immediately afterwards crashed in the market. Manufacturers published huge discounts hoping for a return of subsidies that have never arrived. Why have the tables turned? Taxes. For attacking the market in a way similar to that of Denmark. In both countries, those who buy an electric car are rewarded but, above all, those who buy a gasoline car are punished by pushing them to opt for the cleaner option. In Germany, as in Belgiumthe State is subsidizing the purchase of electric company cars, an economic incentive that is usually common in its companies. In Denmark, anyone who opts for a combustion car is harshly punished. The registration tax is calculated taking into account the volume of emissions of each car. And that increases the cost of having a gasoline car. How does it work? In Denmark, in addition to a 25% VAT, you have to pay a progressive registration tax that varies with respect to its cost. First tranche (cars up to 65,000 DKK, about 8,700 euros): 25% the value of the car Second tranche (cars between 65,000-202,200 DKK, from 8,700 euros to 27,000 euros): 85% the value of the car Third tranche (cars over 202,200 DKK, over 27,000 euros): 150% of the car’s value But this registration tax has some asterisks. If the car is for private use and is electric, 40% of the tax is paid. But, in addition, the State subsidizes up to DKK 165,000 of this tax. That is, you only start paying when the tax exceeds more than 20,000 euros and only 40% of it. And the gasoline ones? Here is the great incentive to go electric. The gasoline car not only pays the expected registration tax. In addition, an additional surcharge must be paid for vehicle emissions. The sections are the following: 0-109 grams of CO2: 280 DKK (37.49 euros) per gram of CO2 109-139 grams of CO2: 560 DKK (74.99 euros) per gram of CO2 more than 139 grams of CO2: 1,064 DKK (142.47 euros) per gram of CO2 In Motorpassion They give the case of a Seat Arona as an example. The car will have to pay 85% of its value but, in addition, it has an extra cost of 5,211 euros. Emitting 124 grams/km of CO2 with its 95 HP 1.0 TSI engine, you will pay 30,520 DKK for the first 109 grams/km of CO2 and another 15 grams/km of Co2 at a cost of 560 DKK, which adds up to 8,400 DKK. That is, the punishment is 38,920 DKK, about 5,211 euros. hateful comparisons. Taking all of the above into account, we can think of an electric car for 50,000 euros (373,475 DKK). In that case, we will have to count on two taxes. The first is the VAT which, as we have seen, is progressive and we would pay the following: First tranche: 25% of DKK 65,000, which is DKK 16,250 Second tranche: 85% from 65,000 DKK to 202,200 DKK, which is 116,620 DKK. Third tranche: 150% from 202,200 to 373,475, which is 256,912 DKK In total, 389,782 DKK (about 52,193 euros). From that money we must subtract 165,000 DKK that the State puts out of its own pocket, which leaves us with 234,782 DKK. But, in addition, electric ones have a 40% reduction. That is, another 93,891 DKK. The fee is therefore reduced to 140,837 DKK (18,850 euros tax) It is also free from the penalty of the emissions tax. A gasoline car with a base price of 25,000 euros, a bracket similar to that found in a Seat Arona, will have to pay the tax equivalent to 186,708 DKK. That is, the 16,250 DKK of the first tranche and 85% of 121,708 DKK of the second tranche. That is, 103,452 DKK. The total is therefore 119,702 DKK. Or, what is the same, just over 16,000 euros. In this case, however, the State does not cover any of the registration tax and the CO2 penalty must be added, which amounts to another 38,920 DKK. That is, 5,211 euros more to make a total of more than 21,000 euros for registering a Seat Arona, almost the same as the cost of the vehicle. … Read more

“It is impossible to make an electric car with SEAT if we want to earn money”

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The current interim CEO of the brand has put a brake on any short and medium term electrification plan for SEAT, focusing the entire electricity bet of the group in Cupra. In fact, it has been in the Munich Motor Show where some of the coupra models that will mark the future of the brand have been seen. An electric SEAT that does not arrive. “Today it is impossible to make an electric car with SEAT if we want An interview With the media. The shadow of An electric volkswagen for 20,000 euroswhich would materialize according to the company in 2027, unbalance all SEAT electrification plans. “If Volkswagen sells at that price, how much should Seat sell?” Haupt continued. The Raval Cupra makes an appearance at the IAA Mobility. Image: Cupra A two brand strategy. The decision to keep Seat out of the electrification responds to a clear commercial logic that HAUPT himself explains: “Seat today is an ideal complement to coupra, because they are in different segments, aimed at different customers.” While Cupra is positioned right now as the premium and sports brand that can assume electrification costs, Seat will remain in the field of combustion and hybridization. To this strategy is added the launch next month of The new versions of Ibiza and the Aronademonstrating that the company wants to continue betting on renewing its range of supervent vehicles. Cupra takes the electrical prominence. The group’s electric future is concentrated exclusively in Cupra, which next year will launch the ravalits entrance model from 25,000 euros with up to 450 kilometers of autonomy. This vehicle will occur in Martorell next to the Volkswagen Id.polowith an estimated capacity of 300,000 units annually between both models. HAUPT has also presented in Munich the Cupra Tindayaa concept car that will reach production “at the beginning of the next decade” and that marks the new brand design language. Of figures goes the thing. In the first semester, Seat and Cupra barely reached an operational benefit of 38 million eurosand Haupt It has been clear on the need to “reduce our cost structure.” Tariffs to the coupra tavascan manufactured in China have negatively impacted these results, although the manager is optimistic about a resolution before the end of the year after negotiations with Brussels. The future is still electric, but not for everyone. Despite how resounding his words have been with Seat, Haupt maintains that “the day will come where I suppose that the amount of electric cars will exceed combustion. That will allow us to improve component prices and make the electric car more affordable for the consumer and cheaper for us.” Meanwhile, the group continues to make the decision to play with Cupra and Seat to satisfy its entire audience. Cover image | SEAT In Xataka | Volkswagen presents the ID. Cross concept and the least is the car: the buttons return and forget the rare names

Seat has the Seat León and Byd has the “Sealion”. So there is already a legal dispute open due to the similarity of the name

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What should be an unimportant procedure has become a small controversy. Seat has challenged the Registration of several byd vehicles in the Intellectual Property Office of the European Union (EUIPO) to understand that both names can be confused with models of their brand. Specifically, Seat has filed an appeal against the record of the name of the Byd Seal, Seal U and Sealion, which are already sold in our country. But also of the Byd Seal and and Seal S, names that still do not have a vehicle awarded but that the Chinese company would be trying to register well to block the name or because in the future new models will arrive that will use these denominations. A procedure that has been complicated What Seat maintains in your resource is that any of these names can lead to confusion with their own denominations and, therefore, induce an unfair advantage or damage to your reputation. At least, that’s what It reads in any of the motivations of its resources. Obviously, the possibility of inducing an error is much higher when we jump from Spanish to English or we see both options written. The most obvious is that Seal and Seat are only differentiated by a letter. Secondly, Seat León and Sealion have a very similar pronunciation in English. For our part, we have contacted the Seat Communication Department, who claim not to give importance to the matter. They assure that it is “a usual process” when any brand seeks to register a new vehicle and that, obviously, “it can be dismissed or admitted” but that for them “is an issue that is not very important.” At the moment, what is certain is that Byd will continue to sell its vehicles under this denomination unless it receives the refusal from the relevant institutions. It would be necessary to see if, in case of winning the appeal, the Chinese company scale or not to the courts this dispute since three of those names are already awarded to cars that are in the market. In fact, in what we have been, Byd has enrolled more than 12,000 units In our country, of which half correspond to the Byd Seal U (6,161 units registered). The SUV is fighting with the Toyota C-HR for being the best-selling hybrid in our country at the moment. And, now, Byd is fighting to make the leap to new European markets, once its situation in the initial European markets, such as Spain, has settled. Photo | Byd and Seat In Xataka | Byd has shown us that the 400 kilometers load in five minutes is very real. And they have managed to change their minds

A driver has been arrested for overloading his Seat León with 700 kg. The traffic fine is the slightest of its problems

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The punishment for breaching one of the sections of the Traffic Law in its article number 76 is clear: 200 euros of fine. It is what corresponds to someone who circulates with “vehicles with the poorly conditioned or with a danger of falling.” The relative to article number 77 of the Traffic Lawin which it is stated that “circular with a vehicle that breaches the technical conditions that seriously affect road safety” is a very serious infraction, punishes drivers with 500 euros of a fine. Any of these two articles, we believe, can be applied to those who drive a car loaded with 700 kg of luggage The problem is that this luggage is stolen cable. Or that the car is not even yours. In that case, you are before the youngest of your problems. When you have a much more serious problem than a traffic fine Because this way the driver of a Seat León circulated, arrested by the Civil Guard in Pilas (Sevilla), as he collects ABC. The detainee was intercepted by the Civil Guard by spotting a very loaded vehicle. When they wanted to stop him, the driver fled on foot to try to mislead the agents who finally ended up stopping it. And the driver knew perfectly that the youngest of his problems was overweight inside his car. The car intercepted, the agents discovered that distributed in the trunk and the rear seats carried 700 kg of stolen cable. Obviously, the intention was to resell copper. But, in addition, the car appeared in the records In the name of a deceased personwhich clearly demonstrated the intention of going unnoticed. The subtraction of the telephone wiring was located between Jabugo and Castaño del Robledo (Huelva) so the driver managed to cover a part of his escape. In total, it is estimated that the detainee stole 1,250 meters of telephone wiring that would have tried to move inside the vehicle. To know how much weight we can carry in our car, we must go to the technical file. In it we will find the data of the maximum authorized mass (MMA), which is forbidden to overcome because we will be putting our safety and the performance of our vehicle at risk. There is no concrete figure of how many kg we can load in a car but, yes, the maximum figure that we can find in a MMA is 3,500 kg because above this weight we could not circulate with a driver’s bnea B that this license is designed exclusively for cars. Photo | Civil Guard In Xataka | How to take the luggage without receiving the 200 euros of the DGT fine

They are not your imaginations, the seat of airplanes is increasingly uncomfortable. He began to shrink in 1978 and since then he has not stopped

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The scene It is familiar For any passenger of a commercial flight in “tourist” class: backpack between the legs, knees embedded against the frontal back and a failed attempt to reach the floor of the cabin without hitting the forehead. What was previously an experience of discovery or luxury has degenerated, for the majority, in An uncomfortable struggle for the most elementary physical space. It happens that this transformation is not fortuitous, and began in the United States. The free market. Before 1978, airlines in the United States functioned as regulated public services. Basic rates, routes and standards (including the space between seats and customer treatment) were supervised by the federal government. The tickets were more expensive than today, but included services such as billed luggage, food and seats with dimensions Chords to the human body half. The problem? That the frame changed drastically with THE AIR AUTLINE ACTlegislation that opened the sector to the competition on behalf of the free market. The promise was that The rates would fall and the service would improve. In practice, after a brief explosion of new companies, the market was rapidly consolidated to the Current oligopoly: four airlines (American, Delta, United and Southwest) They control 80 % of the US market. In that new competitive environment, operational efficiency was imposed as an absolute priority, and the reduction of passenger space became one of the most effective tools for Increase margins Without raising prices. My seat diminishes. Evolution has been progressive but constant. In the eighties, traditional airlines offered an average of 90 cm space between seats (the called pitch), while today an average of 80 cm is reached in regular airlines, and only 70 cm in low-cost companies such as Spirit or Wizz Air. By the way, the seat width has also fallen around 5 cm. This reduction has reached a critical point: studies They point out that more than half of the passengers already They do not fit comfortably In standard seats. The effect is especially dramatic for overweight people, the elderly or those who travel with young children, groups that have also been Excluded from the tests Evacuation officers that FAA has used to justify the current regulations. It is not an illusion, this way it was traveling in economy class in bread in the 70s The reduction in Europe. In Europe, the “to the worst” change for passengers, that is, the progressive loss of space, services and comfort on board, began a little later, in the 1990s, although its regulatory trigger is located a few years earlier, with the European air liberalization which developed in three phases between 1987 and 1997. The clearest inflection point was the call Third Liberalization Package (1992-1997), which culminated in the creation of the Unique European skyallowing any EU airline to operate freely within the community space without restrictions on routes or rates. From there, several effects were triggered, mainly: the massive entry of Low-Cost airlines (Ryanair, Easyjet or Wozz), standardization down and the indirect deregulation (The EU maintained certain standards, but did not impose minimum seat dimensions). We are bigger. Over the years the problem has been aggravated by a purely “natural” issue. The reduction of space coincides with a demographic transformation and, above all, physiological and very human: our body has evolved “more”. A fact: According to the CDCsince the 1990s the average weight of American adults has increased In more than 7 kg. Today’s women weigh the same as the men of three decades ago, and although height growth has stabilized, body size has increased. Despite this, the dimensions of air furniture have not only grown up, but They have diminishedchallenging the tendency of other sectors such as car or entertainment, where the seats have adapted to the new size of the public. In the words of Flyersrights, Paul Hudson, The airlines “They have gone in the opposite direction to the human body.” The business of making. In the background, the Progressive compression of space responds to A clear logic: Sell more tickets by plane and segment the offer to the maximum. Basic tickets are announced with prices artificially lowbut once in the purchase process, passengers are forced To pay supplements For additional space under labels such as “Economy Plus” or “Comfort”. This has created the closest to a system of Aerial casteswhere a minority of frequent or business travelers accesses acceptable conditions, while the rest must choose between supporting claustrophobic conditions or paying more for something that was previously standard. According to William McGeeexpert in economic freedoms, this logic generates “A kind of torture against a moderately human class.” This duality not only affects comfort, but it raises ethical questions on air service equity. Health risks. He problem transcends The scope of comfort. Prolonged immobility in small spaces (especially in long -term flights) increases risk of deep venous thrombosis, a condition that can lead to potentially fatal pulmonary embolisms. The CDC recommends moving Every two or three hoursbut this is impracticable in flights with turbulence or in overalls. In addition, overcrowding seriously complicates the possibility Evacuate a plane In 90 seconds, the limit that FAA demands. Tests carried out by the agency concluded that the seat size It does not influence significantly, but experts who observed the experiment point multiple deficiencies: It was carried out in a parking lot, not in a real aircraft, and children, adults and people with disabilities were excluded. In addition, the test group was composed of just 60 people, well below the real capacity of a commercial flight. How to survive. Before institutional inaction, responsibility falls, of course, In passengers. Experts recommend (if the budget allows) to acquire seats with more space for long flights. Some travelers even acquire two contiguous seats (although be careful, because airlines can reassign them without prior notice). It is also suggested, the time, get up and walk Every time the opportunity arises, and, in high risk cases, Take anticoagulants Light under medical supervision. These strategies are mere palliative in … Read more

In the eyes of the DGT, a Seat Ibiza contaminates more than a Lamborghini. The government wants to end it

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The environmental label system It is broken Practically since he was born. The labels Zero, echo, c and b They try to order from least to greater the environmental impact of the different vehicles that circulate in Spain. The problem? It is quite imprecise and leaves both manufacturers and drivers to make certain traps (never loading a PHEV, supercar with small gigantic batteries and engines, etc.). Almost ten years after its implementation, the Government of Spain will make a Tag system review. It does not rule out making deep changes in it and changing the assignment of environmental badges. Why now. Through a transactional amendment of Sumar, ERC, Bildu and BNG, included in the Sustainable Mobility Law, the Government has pledged to make a study and review of the current environmental labeling system. A period of twelve months is given for the Executive to present said study, including the proposal to review the badges. Although they have not transcended details about the modifications, which must still be studied, there are several suspects under the focus. Zero and Eco Tags . Manufacturers have been taking advantage of the necessary requirements to obtain the ECO and zero label. The first protect all vehicles hybrids with more than 40km of electrical autonomy and those vehicles that work with gas (LPG either CNG). The second to all electric and hybrids with electric autonomy of less than 40km. Many of these vehicles They don’t even rechargeand end up always working with fuel. Others directly have ridiculous autonomies in electrical mode and gigantic motors. This is the case of some Manufacturers Supercars such as Lamborghini. Huge engines with unbroken powers and minimal autonomies in electric mode. CO2 criteria. Another of the biggest problems of the distinctive system has to do with real carbon dioxide emissions. It is a criterion that is not measured directly, the system is based on euro regulations (which already reflect emissions) putting the focus on the age of the vehicle and not in how much it really pollutes. How will it be done. The Government will review the environmental label system, use CO2 emissions as an additional criteria, and focus on those polluting vehicles with ECO label. To achieve this, a joint work will be done with the Ministries of Interior, Transport and Sustainable Mobility, Industry and Commerce and Business, among others. Similarly, consultations will be made to the different autonomous communities. The changes will not be retroactive, they will only affect new registration vehicles. This new classification will only be effective in vehicles recently taken from the concessionaire, which are already in circulation will not see their label modified. The chaos with the zbe. The measure will not solve the current chaos with Las Zbe in Spain. In Granada they are mocking her by changing the registerMadrid continues to discuss their impact after The Varapalo of the Superior Court of Justiceand while Spain is still committed to this system a good part of the public transport system It was renewed with diesel fleets. With a maximum period of 12 months, the government faces one of the most complex reviews in the automobile industry. Changes will deeply affect The sale of certain cars in Spainand the criteria for considering that a vehicle is or not polluting are now in the air. Image | DGT In Xataka | Guide to know if your car can circulate through the Zbe of Madrid in 2024: labels, registered and areas

The reclining seat is the great battle among plane passengers. A Neozylandesa airline believes to have the solution

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If you fly, it is likely that it has happened to you more than once. You are comfortably sitting in your seat, buckled belt, headphones in the ears and a good book in the hands, and suddenly (plas!) The back of the passenger in front It is about you. Your vital space is smiling. You no longer move with the same comfort. And the worst thing is that little you can do to solve it. After all, the seats are designed for that: recline. In New Zealand there is an airline that has had An idea to avoid that kind of situations. Its proposal is still limited (it applies in the premium class), but it provides at least one solution to a problem that is usually a source of infinite discussions (and even fights) on the planes. THE WAR OF THE SEATS. A year Heather Poole, a hostess of an American airline and author of A book in which he speaks of his 15 years of experience with “crazy passengers at 35,000 feet high,” he published on the CNN website An article loaded with irony about one of the big problems with which the cabin staff fought during flights: the fights triggered by the reclining seats. “In addition to the lack of Wi -Fi or a damaged entertainment system, flight assistants listen to more complaints about the reclined seats than about anything else,” Poole explains Before recounting the case of a passenger who came to threaten to punch if the traveler in front of him continued to lower his seat. “A reclining armchair can be reclined, and no one can do anything about it”, Warns the flight attendant. “If you get it or threats to hit someone you will be you who ends up expelled.” And Air New Zealand arrived. The New Zealand flag airline, Air New Zealand, has decided to take advantage of the modernization of part of its fleet to try a way to end the fights for reclining seats. The company, based in Auckland, has taken advantage of the first “reconditioning” of an aircraft 787-9 Dreamliner to replant the design of the cabins, including among other issues new seats. The aircraft includes the Business Premier, Business Premier Luxe, Premium Economy and Economy Business category. Each has its peculiarities but if we talk about the subject that worries Poole (and the rest of the world’s hostess) the interesting is the Economy Premium. In addition to adding some lateral “wings” to the seat to offer greater privacy to the passengers and expand the storage space, the New Zealand company has sought ways to ensure that if a traveler wants to bow his neck, he does not finish a few centimeters from the passenger’s chest behind him. “All seats have a fixed exterior housing, which means that their reclines does not affect the person behind,” duck. Is it the definitive solution? It is of course an interesting idea for a problem that, although it may seem anecdotal, alters the flight experience to many passengers and forces intervene often to cabin staff. The concept of reclining seat with an exterior housing that prevents the backrest from going backwards It is not new (at least in trains) and Air New Zealand limits it to its Premium Economy class. The tourist class seats of its adapted 787-9 are simpler and the company does not specify that they incorporate any novelty related to the inclination. With all the bet is interesting because the airline wants to continue modernizing its 787-9. The first of its reconditioned aircraft will be released on an Auckland-Brisbane flight on May 19, but the company is already working on a second ship in Singapore and hopes to have seven units ready for the end of the year. “The 14 Boeing 787-9 of the Air New Zealand fleet will be updated to the new cabin configuration by the end of 2026,” They clarify From the company. How serious is the problem? “The main problem is that airlines are piling too many seats in a small space. Do you remember the leg space?” Ironiza Poole. Your comment slips a key idea: optimization does not respond only to a matter of comfort, it is also (and above all) an economic issue. Airplanes have a limited capacity and conditioned by the manufacturer, but to the extent that their squares are redesigned by airlines can earn space, travelers … and money. The issue is so relevant that there are airlines that have op reduce degrees of inclination of your seats or limit Its rotation. In the sector even The idea is handled to directly install immobile seats that prevent any degree of adjustment. That without even more radical ideas, such as that of the Spanish entrepreneur Alejandro Núñez and his two height seator the places for passengers They fly standingraised by some Low Cost. Goodbye to the fights? That is the goal. And one of the advantages that a priori offer the seats of the new Air New Zealand aircraft. They are not the only ones who have sought ways to put some “peace” among the people who have to share flight hours in a limited space. There are companies that have come to design Kits that allows the front seat to be tilted and It is not so much Tiktok circulated a trick more than questionable to prevent the passenger from front to incline our lap: activate the air conditioning and guide it towards it. Images | Air New Zealand In Xataka | We have been binding to the suitcases to identify them at the airport for years. Your employees warn that it is a bad idea

Wayne Griffiths, CEO of Seat and leader of his historical repositioning leaves

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The CEO of Seat and Cupra leaves the leadership of the company since March 31, 2025. With this notic we have surprised the email entrance tray at 16:16 of, indeed, today March 31, 2025, announcing the departure of Wayne Griffiths, CEO until today of the company and one of the voices that have generated the most noise in the Spanish car in recent years. “At your own request”. Wayne Griffiths’s departure is voluntary, leaving Seat SA a few days after the company presented its results. “At your own request with immediate effect to undertake new challenges”, Read in the statement that the company has published. Thomas Schäfer, CEO of the Volkswagen brand and president of the board of directors of SEAT SA highlights of Griffiths that has done a great job in the development of the Cupra brand and in the restructuring of the company. “The company has lived a deep change under its leadership. The profile. Until now, Griffiths’s career He had always been linked to the march of the Volkswagen Group. His admission occurred in 1989 aboard Audi, where he grew up during the 90s after a brief step by Seat. As of 1998 he assumed positions of responsibility in the Audi sales area which catapulted him to the position of Audi sales director in Germany during the 2000s. Already in 2016 he was appointed Commercial Vice President of Seat SA S has since been the visible head of the transformation of Seat, first as president of Cupra since December 2018 and, subsequently, as president of Seat since October 2020. A transformation. During the four and a half years that Griffiths has been the president of the company has worked to finish tracking the train to which Luca de Meo had already put the tracks. The Italian arrived in 2015 to the SEAT address with the task of refloating the company. Seat had been losing money since 2008. That same 2015 Seat has already entered positive numbers and began a restructuring that has completely changed the company’s identity. Because on the way to sell greater volume but, above all, more expensive cars, Cupra was taken from under the sleeve. Now the company is the one that pulls the car inside Seat Sa From the departure in 2020 of the ItalianGriffiths has led a conversion that has left us the company’s first electric cars (CUPRA BORN and Tavascan) But, above all, the idea that Seat SA is now a very different thing than a decade ago. “The future is Cupra”. In March 2022, Griffiths surprised with a phrase in the presentation of the company’s results: “Cupra is not the end of Seat. Cupra gives Seat a future and the future is electric. The future is Cupra.” Seat’s position began to stagger and the lace seemed to put Thomas Schäfer, one of the strongest men in the Volkswagen group, who said that “We will find a new role for Seat”. Little by little, Cupra has devoured Seat. As you can see in the superior image, when Griffiths took command of Seat SA, Martorell produced just over 350,000 cars. Last year He moved above 480,000 cars. Despite the substantial increase in Cupra (from 23,460 units in 2020 to 173,384 units last year), the brand has managed to re -manufacture almost 240,000 Seat cars. And the cupra figures, as little, should be maintained over time. The company has found a success in the Formentor. The car is little more than a “lifted” Seat León but they have managed to give them their own identity and, above all, sell it much more expensive. The Seat León today starts about 23,000 euros while The Formentor Cupra exceeds 35,000 euros starting. A rocker. In recent years, Seat SA has clearly bet on Cupra. Cupra has been receiving New models ads. He went from Seat sports branch to a brand with its own identity. A movement that has the firm of De Meowho did the same with Abarth and Fiat and has repeated play with Alpine and Renault. Thus, the same car can be sold slightly retouched with a small cost for the company but at a much higher price, shooting the profit margin. The complicated thing is to provide the new signature of its own identity. Cupra has found it with a new logo, sharp and more daring shapes than any other Volkswagen group company. Also, in addition, it is receiving new electrical models and plug -in hybrids, options in danger of extinction within SEAT. At the same time, Seat has finished positioning itself as the Volkswagen input range. Your cars They lack any type of electrification while they have contained their prices a bit. In return, they take a juicy part of sales, open the door to position themselves as a brand interested in micromobility services And who knowsin the future of affordable electric cars to return as the most economical option. A critic. Griffiths has ended up framing the project that was already guessed with Luca de Meo’s command but, in addition, with his departure one of the most critical voices is also leaving and that he has left in the automobile sector in Spain. The CEO of Seat has always been contrary to Chinese electric car tariffsEuropean car policies to foster the electric car and complicate the future to combustion and Critic with the Government From his position as President of ANFAC, to which he resigned in June 2024. I said a few days ago that SEAT will have to fire workers If manufacturers are forced to comply with emission regulations designed by 2027. With them, Seat will not be able to survive if they do not change radically in the next two years. Photo | SEAT In Xataka | They bet on making Seat the cheapest brand of the Volkswagen group. Now Martorell’s production is at risk

Choosing seat to fly has become a luxury. Now Ryanair has his own subscription to assure you

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Offer the basics to travel. A seat and (for the moment) a hand suitcase. This is how operators have done business Low Cost When it comes to flying. Eliminate everything that the client can consider accessory to lower the basic prices of tickets. For the rest, you have to go through the box. But if you are fed up with all this, Ryanair proposes another option: Subscribe to his flights. A subscription to Ryanair. Ryanair Prime. This is the name of the new service that The company is offering on its website. For 79 euros a year, the Low Cost airline offers you a series of exclusive advantages within its membership: Priority sale on selected flights Exclusive discounts for some flights Free selection for the member and a companion According to the company, if we want to choose a seat every time we travel this subscription, it is profitable from three flights since we would stop paying 105 euros. That is, in case of flying three times the traveler would be saving 26 euros in total. If we fly twelve times, savings can reach 420 euros. The 12 flights. The mention of savings of those 12 flights is not accidental. As read in the Subscription terms and conditionsthe client can choose a seat up to twelve occasions for him and the companion. That is, it is understood that this benefit in the subscription only reaches the first 12 trips of the year. (Lot) small print. When promoting this service, the company has emphasized advantages such as travel insurance to cancel a flight as a result of an injury or disease (excluding COVID-19), the theft of the luggage or the delay of other flights. Of course, it is specified that those over 70 are excluded from disease coverage. It is not the only aspect that attention must be paid since the reserve of seats has its own peculiarities. Yes, it is true that the member can choose free seat for him and the companion but always and when they opt for seats that do not imply an extra cost in their selection. Ryanair points out that, therefore, it is not guaranteed that the member of the subscription and the traveler can travel accompanied by each other since it will depend on the available seats that allow a free change or the random assignment by the company. The seat business. When it comes to eliminating all the accessory of a flight, one of the first spotlights in which Ryanair attention was in the selection of seats. The company, like so many other low cost, knows that the client is willing to pay for them to travel accompanied, to have more leg space or to leave before the plane (choosing the front seats) once he has landed. In 2023, The Telegraph It echoed a study in which the airlines of the seat choice service were specified. According to him, Ryanair was the fifth company that took the most benefit, with 3,280 million pounds a year. But it was the Low Costa company that made the most money in this regard. Keep in mind that Delta (6,550 million pounds), United Airlines ((6,460 million pounds), American Airlines (6,320 million pounds) and Southwest Airlines (4,870 million pounds) offer much longer flights and the cost of choosing a seat is also superior. A seat and nothing more. As you can see in the superior image, Ryanair takes into account various services that are gradually more than the price of the ticket. With the basic rate it is possible to travel for 15 euros in a Madrid-Cagliari, for example, but you will not have the right to choose a seat and will have to adapt to the suitcase for the smallest possible hand luggage. In addition, rates play to offer and remove services to propose the most expensive alternative as the most interesting. Thus, the option Regular It allows to carry a larger cabin in the cabin (up to 10 kg) but this is not available if we want to bill a 20 kg suitc Plus. Nor is the priority shipment available in the latter used by the Regular. The controversy of the suitcase. As we see, the subscription service completely omits the possibility of carrying a hand suitcase on board which, without a doubt, is the company’s last great controversy. In Spain, Low cost have been fined For not allowing the passage with hand suitcases, Ryanair being with a fine of more than 107 million euros the most punished. The company defends itself by ensuring that it does allow access to the aircraft with hand luggage but that this It must be a maximum 40 centimeters high, 20 centimeters wide and 25 centimeters deep. These measures are equivalent to a bag or backpack but the typical troley used on trips is usually larger. In that case, if this last suitcase has not been added when making the reservation and does not enter the measures, The company charges a 46 euros supplement. However, the Ministry of Consumer does not consider that the basic rate contemplates the obligation to allow access to the plane with a hand suitc Insults answered Pablo BustinduyMinister of Consumption, by Michael O’Leary, CEO of Ryanair. But, above all, applying pressure with The exit of airports with lower traffic of the country. Photo | Markus Winkler In Xataka | Spain has tired of Ryanair’s practices. And the airline is going to hit where it hurts the most: the provinces airports

SEAT threatens 1,500 layoffs in Martorell

by

The European car industry faces an uncertain future. In the roderas of the complicated path of electrification of its catalog, the obstacles of the Chinese electric car have been crossed and, now, the US tariff threats. In that scenario, the European Union has imposed an additional tariff of 20.7% to electric vehicles manufactured in China. The bad news is that this climb has not only affected Chinese manufacturers cars. Seat has been trapped In the midst of this regulation with the Tavascan cupra. The Tavascan coupra shoots. He Cupra tavascan, He was the first electric “rebel” brand of Seat. The Cupra Electric Model It is assembled In the factory that Volkswagen has in Hefei (China). Therefore, even if it is a European brand, the same tariffs are applied as to the rest of Chinese brands. That has made its cost, which already assumed a 10% tariff already existing, you have to add an additional 20.7% that the EU has imposed to cars manufactured in China that entered into force at the end of 2024. This raises the total tax at 30.7%, which seriously affects the profitability of this model whose price ranges between 41,000 and 53,000 euros. 1,500 jobs at stake. The domino effect of the fall in the profitability of the model that was going to mark the passage of the company’s electrification, has caused the company to rethink the strategy by reducing the production of cars in its Martorell factory. Wayne Griffiths, CEO of Seat, assured To the agency Reuters That, if these tariffs are not reduced to Tavascan before March 2025, the company would be forced to cut 1,500 direct jobs and up to 10,000 indirects related to suppliers of the Catalan factory. This figure doubles the initial estimates of the unions. Matías Carnero, president of UGT of Catalunya pointed out In an interview for Eldiario.es that “were in danger between 600 and 700 jobs” due to tariffs. EMISSION OBJECTIVES add more tension. Seat’s situation is aggravated with the need to fulfill Pollutant emission objectives established by Brussels. This directive forces SEAT to reduce vehicle production with combustion engines and reconsider its commercial strategy given the economic unfeasibility of its electrical models by tariffs. In this context, the company is negotiating with the European authorities to make the emission regulations more flexible and mitigate the economic impact and avoid more labor cuts. “We don’t have much time. We need to reach a solution in the first quarter.” Griffiths pointed out in statements to Reuters. “We cannot solve it overnight,” said the SEAT manager, highlighting that to comply with the regulations, they had to develop synthetic fuel engines. A new stick on the wheels. Seat did not come from marking its best financial figures, so the impact of tariffs is not the only challenge that arises in the future of Seat. In the third quarter of 2024, sales had already fallen 4%, attributed to macroeconomic factors such as global instability. The company had already announced Reduction of about 90,000 units in the Martorell plant, which represents a 17% cut in its production The Catalan factory is a key piece for Seat, since it manufactures models such as the Formentor, León and Arona coupra, in addition to the Audi A1. The brand assured in its Annual 2023 report produce more than 443,400 units in that factory. However, economic difficulties have already led Seat to apply different rounds of layoffs since 2022. If an agreement with the EU is not reached, the dismissals will continue in the Seat’s flagship factory. In Xataka | Volkswagen has saved the furniture, but not to its template: 35,000 layoffs in Germany to continue manufacturing Image | SEAT

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