SEAT should be reinvented as a Dacia-beating cheap, urban car brand

Oh dear. As Volkswagen Group’s former CEO Martin Winterkorn goes on trial for alleged Dieselgate-related “fraud”, those in the boardroom at Wolfsburg HQ are discussing the possible closure of some German factories for the first time ever. Yikes.  

Too many VW Group brands overlap and therefore directly and expensively fight each other in the showrooms. They desperately need clearer identities and price differentials to attract a wider clientele.

To these eyes, SEAT has to be the bargain brand, offering low-spec, Dacia-bashing city cars, including reborn versions of the Marbella supermini and van. Think of SEAT as the entry point, whose cars have insurance ratings of 1-10. It matters not that they’ll be as basic (but safer than) an original Beetle.

Cupra has a simpler job: to offer affordable and fun performance cars that’ll be the Alfa Romeos of Spain. Skodas are good – perhaps too good – these days. And certainly too talented to be blessed with low price tags. But they must offer unrivalled value for money to fight off Chinese makers such as BYD. 

VWs need to remain classless, durable, long-lasting, reasonably priced for the masses and more ‘business class’ than the above brands. As with Porsches they can be great long-term investments, and should be marketed as such. Models sold via VW Commercial Vehicles are too brilliant not to share. So SEAT and Skoda versions are a must.  

Audi is a proper premium brand that, at the top end, is borderline luxury. So just keep it that way. The world’s ultimate thoroughbred sports car marque is Porsche. It ain’t broke, so there’s no need to fix it, but couldn’t the ‘System Porsche’ badge be used on Cupras, as SEAT did in the eighties? Also, Caymans and Boxsters with sub-£60k starting prices have to continue for those wanting to get a foot on the Porsche ladder.    

Car companies can’t just ‘reimagine’ themselves as luxury brands. But at Bentley luxury is standard with every model, while heritage, provenance and quintessential British class are thrown in for good measure. A Bugatti is the definition of a hypercar. Fair enough. But sales are minuscule. And are these desperately low-volume cars to be used? Or are they investments to be locked away like gold bars?

Everyone acknowledges that Lamborghini builds some of the world’s most in-demand supercars. Not so well known is that it sold its tractor-making business. Shame. 

VW Group needs diversification. That’s why Ducati should build bicycles, trikes and quads – some designed to be slotted into VW Group vehicles. Talking of diversity, VW has adopted the Scout brand, whose US-built SUV is unveiled next month. If the sketches and estimated £30k price are anything to go by, it’ll be spot on. Of this lot, It’s the vehicle I’d most like parked on my drive – alongside that Lambo tractor.

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