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SEAT to expand SUV line with seven-seater

SEAT to expand SUV line with seven-seater
New seven-seat SEAT SUV, larger than an Ateca, due in 2018, to be built in Wolfsburg.

What's the news?

Spanish carmaker SEAT has confirmed its SUV offensive will rapidly continue to expand into 2018, with the firm making a teasing announcement of a large five- or seven-seater model that will sit above the Ateca in its line-up.

SEAT is already gearing up to bring the sub-Ateca compact Arona model to market in the latter half of 2017, so this third SUV - to be built in Wolfsburg on the same platform as the Volkswagen Tiguan, Ateca and Skoda Kodiaq - should satisfy fans of the Iberian company who need a bit more interior space.

Our best guess on appearance and exact size is that this newcomer will be a SEAT-ified version of the Tiguan Allspace that was announced at the Geneva Motor Show.

SEAT made the announcement of the third SUV off the back of its best financial year in the company's history. The Spanish outfit showed an operating profit of €143 million in 2016, as a result of worldwide vehicle sales of almost 410,000 vehicles.

Anything else?

Luca de Meo, SEAT's president, said of the new SUV: "This car will bring new customers to us, will boost brand image and will have a very big effect on our ability to generate margins. It will be designed in Barcelona and made in Germany. Producing the new SUV in Wolfsburg, in the heart of the Volkswagen Group, will reinforce the ties between SEAT and Volkswagen."

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Published on March 23, 2017