2019 proved to be another exceptional year for the SEAT brand in Ireland. In a market that faced many challenges, SEAT managed to return remarkable performance, with a record market share of 3.5%, up from 2.9% the previous year.
SEAT sold 4,120 cars in 2019, and this was an 11.4% increase on 2018. Surpassing 4,000 units is the first time in 19 years this has been achieved and reaching 3.5% is the highest market share in the brands history in Ireland.
A significant reason for the excellent sales success of the brand is down to the ever-growing SEAT SUV range, which grew in 2019 with the arrival of the Tarraco that was recently awarded Irish Large SUV of the Year 2020 at the Continental Irish Car of the Year Awards.
The SUV range accounts for just over 60% of SEAT’s sales in Ireland, and the Arona is now SEAT’s number one car, accounting for 28% of total sales. And while 2020 will see further news on SEAT’s electrification, 2019 remained a year of diesel and petrol, with demand for both split pretty even.
Through Volkswagen Financial Services, of all new SEAT cars now purchased on finance, 80% of these finance cases were purchased on PCP, guaranteeing extremely low competitive rates and a minimum future value.
In addition, with the increase in the brands product portfolio, there has been a significant increase in the number of fleet and corporate customers seeing the impressive product and value offered by SEAT.
Commenting on the 2019 results, SEAT Ireland Brand Director Niall Phillips said: “We are delighted with the brand’s results in 2019 in what was a challenging year, and it is a credit to our retailers and to our team that we achieved so many milestones last year.
“And the early signs for 2020 are positive based on current demand with the total market expected to be stronger than 2019. I’d like to thank our customers and retailers for their custom and business in 2019 and we welcome even more customers to the brand in 2020.
“The SEAT retailer network increased in 2019 with the appointment of Aherns SEAT in Kerry and Connolly’s SEAT in Sligo and these strong appointments will make sure that 2020 remains a strong year for the brand.
