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SEAT gives an Ateca on loan to BeMobile to develop mobility apps for the connected car

Release Date: 03 Feb 2017   |   Martorell
  • The agreement with BeMobile will enable to explore the Ateca’s possibilities for new experiences and personalised services based on connectivity
  • SEAT is committed to establishing collaborations with Barcelona’s ecosystems of startups to do more research on urban mobility 
Martorell, 03/02/2017.- SEAT and Barcelona startup BeMobile have signed an agreement to develop intelligent, creative solutions in the field of urban mobility and new user services, spotlighting the connected car. The carmaker has given a SEAT Ateca on loan to the startup, which specialises in mobile innovation, so it can develop new apps and explore business opportunities alongside SEAT, for a six month period, with the Ateca and Barcelona as its testing ground.

In the framework of its digital transformation and faced with the challenges and disruptive changes in the automotive sector, SEAT aims to become a benchmark in the field of connectivity. For this reason, the company is exploring different possibilities to provide drivers with easy, digital, connected mobility experiences. The agreement between SEAT and BeMobile seeks synergies between SEAT’s knowledge of the car market and the agility and innovation of startups to generate high value experiences that can lead to new services.

Fabian Simmer, SEAT’s Chief Digital Officer, underlined the importance of collaborating with external partners to make progress in the area of the company’s digitisation, customer experience and business development. “Loaning the Ateca to BeMobile turns our SUV into an excellent laboratory for studying new solutions, such as personalised, on-demand services, parking and payment platforms and extensive products, among others, which enhance users’ mobility experiences”.

Furthermore, BeMobile CEO Adriana Escrivá points out that “BeMobile is committed to innovation as the backbone of our projects, either through creating disruptive business models, implementing the latest technologies, or designing new user experiences. Being able to apply our mobile know-how and leading startup methodologies in the connected car is a wonderful opportunity”.

Mobility projects

Simmer underscored Barcelona’s role as an international Smart City territory benchmark and the ideal backdrop for studying urban mobility of the future. In this context, SEAT presented its Ateca concept with Smart City connectivity at the latest edition of the Smart City Expo World Congress. This technology is able to collect information from its surroundings using tracking sensors and share it with other users via the Parkfinder app.

In addition, this year SEAT is implementing the Metropolis:Lab Barcelona, the Volkswagen Group’s sixth laboratory where more than 50 engineers and highly skilled professionals will analyse and seek out intelligent solutions for the challenges facing future mobility. Mobile technology and big data will combine to create solutions that provide an easier, more secure and more efficient connection between people, the smart city and mobility-related services in cities of the future.

Headquartered in Barcelona and managed by SEAT, the specialists of the Metropolis:Lab Barcelona will work on competencies and skills related with smart mobility, combining vehicle data with their environment, to develop apps that can be used by all Volkswagen Group brands. The Volkswagen Group consortium currently has five data hubs worldwide: two in Wolfsburg and one in Berlin, Munich and San Francisco.

The SEAT Ateca, the first SUV in the history of the company, is becoming the brand’s third pillar, as demonstrated by the excellent market response it has received. Since its launch, in July 2016, a total of 24,200 units were sold last year. In addition, the Ateca won the national “ABC Best Car of the Year 2017” award, and has been recognised internationally as “Best Buy Car of Europe in 2017” at the AUTOBEST 2017 award ceremony.
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