2008 can safely be called our New Ibiza Year: We launch the new SEAT Ibiza as the indisputable flagship vehicle for our brand – and roll out the Ibiza SC. The Ibiza CUPRA and Ibiza Ecomotive are presented shortly after. All these versions fuse beauty and technology in a way unprecedented for SEAT, and firmly place the new Ibiza amongst the most technologically advanced and edgy vehicles on the market. On top of that, the new SEAT Ibiza gained the maximum of 5 Stars in the Euro NCAP Safety Tests, making it one of the safest cars available.

The launch campaign is supported by the European tour of three “Jewel Transport Trucks” – taking the new SEAT Ibiza around 20 major cities from April onwards for the public to get a first impression of the new superstar in our collection. Towards the end of the year, the new SEAT Ibiza Ecomotive is titled the world’s most ecological car of its class by the highly influential German newspaper “Bild am Sonntag”. In October, we present the Exeo, the first SEAT limousine in the B segment, in its world premiere at the Paris Motor Show.

SEAT Sport makes history by winning the World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) manufacturers’ title for the first time with a fleet of SEAT Leon TDI® WTCCs. The French SEAT pilot Yvan Muller takes the drivers’ title after the final race of the season in China.
 
2008 is also the second year in a row that SEAT is one of the global sponsors of the prestigious Red Bull Air Races – a series of thrilling acrobatic flight competition events taking place in some of the most beautiful cities in Europe, including Budapest, London, Porto and Rotterdam.
We launch the new Ibiza and the Ibiza SC, and present the Ibiza CUPRA and the Ibiza Ecomotive. Call it our New Ibiza Year.
Early on in 2007, we launch SEAT Service, a unit merging all after-sales activities. SEAT Service ensures increasingly streamlined, globally standardised vehicle maintenance and repairs – guaranteeing content customers and happy SEAT-drivers around the world.

That same year, SEAT sponsors Shakira’s “Oral Fixation” European tour. As part of the sponsorship campaign, SEAT and the singer design the SEAT Leon CUPRA “Pies Descalzos” : a one-of-a-kind car that is finished according to Shakira’s colour and upholstery specifications, presented at the Geneva Motor Show and donated to the Colombian superstar’s charity foundation “Pies Descalzos” in support of children in need in her home country. An unforgettable campaign for SEAT, Shakira – and some of the neediest children in Colombia.

In July, the Prototype Centre of Development (PCD) is inaugurated – a specialised department merging the virtual and physical stages of prototype development. It puts SEAT firmly at the cutting edge of the motoring industry.

In September, our brand causes a stir at Frankfurt’s IAA Motor Show with its highly original sports utility concept car SEAT Tribu and one of the most environmentally friendly cars on the market – the first SEAT Ibiza Ecomotive. That same year we also showcase the Altea Freetrack, our first 4x4 vehicle fusing a sense of adventure with cool urban chic.

Towards the end of the year, the SEAT Design Centre (SDC) is opened in Martorell. It is one of the most modern and functional design centres in the world. It is the foundation for SEAT’s ambitious, design-driven future.
We launch the Altea Freetrack: It’s our first 4x4 vehicle fusing adventure and urban chic.
We open our new head office centralising all our activity in Martorell near Barcelona in 2006, and Erich Schmitt becomes the new President of SEAT.

In May, the new SEAT Leon FR is unveiled at the Madrid Motor Show. In July, the SEAT Leon CUPRA is presented at the London Motor Show: It is the most powerful car of the SEAT brand to date. In September, the SEAT Altea XL is uncovered at the International Motor Show in Paris: It is the most family-friendly model of our range.
The Leon CUPRA is presented in London. The Altea XL is revealed in Paris. 2006 is all about power and the family.
2005 is marked by the arrival of the new SEAT Leon, unveiled at the Barcelona Motor Show together with its race competition version, the SEAT Leon WTCC. The new Leon is an immediate success both for the many awards it received and the excellent market acceptance.

Frankfurt’s IAA Motor Show witnesses the world premiere of the SEAT Altea FR prototype: It is the first of the new generation of SEAT vehicles to adopt the FR concept. Meanwhile, the SEAT Altea 2 litre 170 hp TDI® prototype becomes the most powerful diesel engine car in the history of SEAT.

SEAT Sport finishes a brilliant season in the WTCC (World Touring Car Championship). It comes third, and gains its first WTCC trophy with the Leon WTCC only two months after entering the world championship.
The Barcelona Motor Show witnesses the world premiere of the new Leon and its race competition version, the Leon WTCC.