SEAT and Cupra given lead in fresh VW Group ‘micromobility’ push

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James Brodie 2019-09-11 13:15

VW Group’s Spanish arm has been tasked with developing new modes of transport suitable for sharing alongside traditional cars

SEAT design chief Alejandro Mesonero-Romanos has explained how both the SEAT and Cupra brands are being lined-up as “micromobility” champions for the whole of the Volkswagen Group, detailing how the Spanish marque and its performance sub-brand is working to expand its horizons beyond just selling cars. 

Speaking at the Frankfurt Motor Show, Mesonero-Romanos outlined the work currently being undertaken at SEAT’s Marotell headquarters near Barcelona, and explained why the firm recently decided to create the Minomo - a 1+1 concept car extremely similar in execution to the Renault Twizy.

• New Cupra Tavascan concept revealed

“A job we have been told to do by the group is to study and develop micromobility. SEAT Minomo is part of these studies, and there’s other stuff that will be revealed soon. We are exploring concepts and thinking about things in the long term, discussing which kinds of products for micromobility.”

Going against current industry trends SEAT’s design chief hinted that A-segment city cars like the SEAT Mii aren’t totally dead, but will instead have to be supported by a broad ecosystem of different modes of transportation. Car sharing, rather than permanent ownership, is key to this, claimed Mesonero-Romanos.

“I think that we will see in the near future, or the mid term, new technologies, new archetypes of vehicles coming. But if something new is coming it doesn’t mean something else is dying. I think that there is a space to make micromobility from kick scooter to cars. From electric motorbikes to electric microcars like the Minimo, but also what we call A-segment vehicles in the same size region as Mii.

“People will still need to go with four passengers in their cars to move around. What we will see is people will choose more intelligently their preferences. So for a person who is driving mostly alone, it doesn’t make sense to buy a four seater car or five seater car.”

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