Volkswagen warns that Seat's future beyond 2030 is uncertain and depends on regulation and sales

The Volkswagen Group says it cannot guarantee the future of the Seat brand beyond 2030. That will depend on factors such as regulation or sales. But it is a game with the cards marked and not in your favor.

So, what can they do from Seat?

Little, although the work being done in Spain, given its range, is commendable: they are third in the ranking. Furthermore, in 2025 Seat sold more than 257,000 cars worldwide during the year. It is a good figure, but it is 35.5% less than in 2020. On the other hand, in the same period, Cupra has gone from 27,390 cars to 328,819. In addition, vehicles with a much higher margin. For example, between 2019 and 2024 Seat SA increased its profits per vehicle by 35% and that was, above all, thanks to Cupra. That is to say, their first enemy is at home and the group has made it very clear that Cupra is a pillar for the future.

What explains this different evolution?

“Continuing to invest in Seat is increasingly complex,” said Oliver Blume. It is not new either: for years, that chapter has been almost frozen for the brand that is now 76 years old. They do not have any 100% new cars on the horizon, only improvements in some such as the arrival of light hybrids, and due to their type of clientele, they say that it is not profitable to give them a pure electric car. It is the whiting that bites its tail: a company that does not invest decisively in the future will have no future. Whatever it's called. And if you put money in and invest it well, as has been done with Cupra, the numbers do come out. Or with Skoda, not to leave the VW umbrella, where a strong bet has also been made.

And what does VW mean when it talks about regulation?

For Brussels to soften the CO2 requirements for cars more than it has done, because the 10% margin that it will allow in 2035 is tiny and will mean that almost everything sold since then will be electric or hydrogen fuel cell, if it has already become popular. Furthermore, if the EU does not soften its roadmap, from 2030 many combustion engine vehicles will be 'toxic assets' because they will carry million-dollar fines for emissions. And be careful, the first one that does not want Brussels to let up is the current Government of Spain in order to defend the position of our factories, with several electrical projects underway.