Skip to content

A country on wheels

Release Date: 16 Jun 2017

Martorell, 16/06/2017.– The names of twelve locations scattered across the Spanish geography and one monument, the Alhambra, have literally been transported on four wheels to over 75 countries worldwide. Since 1983, SEAT models have been christened with the the names of well-known places such as Ibiza and Leon, and small towns and villages like Ateca and Arona; 13 individual names taken from places all over Spain that will soon be joined by one more with next year’s launch of the company’s new 7-seater SUV, which will be chosen for the first time in a participatory process. The following journey takes you through all of them, before finding out which will be the last stop on the route this fall.


-Ibiza, an island and five generations: SEAT’s island namesake was launched in 1984. The brand’s most iconic model is now in its fifth generation and more than 5.4 million units have been sold. It was named after the largest of the Balearic Islands, which features over 200 kilometres of beaches and is known worldwide as a party island that exudes quintessential Mediterranean character.


-A best-seller on the Castilian plains: Leon was the place name chosen in 1999 for the brand’s best-selling compact passenger car. With more than 1.8 million units made in three generations, today the Leon is SEAT’s top seller. The current generation, launched in 2012, enabled the company to take a giant leap and it became the third pillar of the brand.

-The first SUV, standing out in Aragon: SEAT’s first SUV, launched last year, was named after a small Aragonese township with a population of only 1,800 and a medieval castle. Since then the Ateca has received several distinctions, such as the AUTOBEST Award 2017, which have made the name of this village known on an international level.

-The most volcanic crossover: The journey across the breadth of the Spanish geography reaches the village of Arona in Tenerife, one of the seven Canary islands. The Ateca’s little brother, which is going to be presented at the end of June, evokes the protected volcanic landscape of the Guaza Mountain natural monument.
-Alhambra, the eighth wonder of the world: SEAT’s first MPV was launched in 1996 with the name of the 9th century citadel in Granada, a World Heritage Site considered the eighth wonder of the world. In its two generations, a total of 402,000 units have been sold of this family car.

-A Toledo in the City of Three Cultures: The sedan launched in 1991 evokes the Castilian city which was the centre of coexistence of Jews, Muslims and Christians in the middle ages. The Toledo became the best-seller in its segment and, until today, close to a million units of this model have been sold.

-13 names from across the Spanish landscape: Other towns and cities which have lent their name to SEAT models throughout the company’s history include Ronda (1982), Malaga (1985), Marbella (1986), Cordoba (1993), Arosa (1997), Inca (1995) or Altea (2004). In total, 13 cars are associated with Spanish place names taken from the map of the country.

-The next namesake, still to be decided by the public: The Ateca’s big brother will be the 14th model christened with the name of another emblematic location in the country, but for the first time, the public will be able to participate in selecting it. The names of cities, towns, monuments or any place name in Spain can be submitted as a proposal until 22 June. The finalists will be announced in September at the Frankfurt Motor Show and the winning name of the new large SUV will be revealed before 15 October.


adding all to cart
False 0
File added to media cart.