MUNICH — Seat won’t get a small battery-powered automobile from Volkswagen Group’s MEB-Small electrical platform.

Seat’s sister model Cupra and VW Group’s core VW model each unveiled ideas for entry-level full-electric vehicles from the platform on the Munich auto present.

The manufacturing variations of the Cupra UrbanRebel  and VW ID Life are anticipated to be constructed at Seat’s manufacturing unit in Martorell close to Barcelona, together with a model for Skoda. The deliberate annual quantity is 500,000 vehicles.

However there won’t be a Seat model.

“We can not do every thing without delay,” Wayne Griffiths, who leads each Seat and Cupra, informed reporters on the present.

Seat has two sturdy manufacturers in Seat and Cupra, however to face out with an entry-level EV,  “one thing completely different” is required within the type of an “emotional electrical automobile, which appears nice and is enjoyable to drive,” Griffiths informed reporters on the present.

The CupraRebel idea has a race-car design impressed by motorsports.

Cupra will start gross sales of the Born, its first full-electric automobile in November.

The compact-sized Born is underpinned by VW Group’s essential MEB platform, which additionally underpins the VW ID3 hatchback and ID4 crossover, together with the Skoda Enyaq and Audi This fall e-tron. Initially the Born was supposed to be badged as a Seat.

Cupra, which can grow to be an electric-only model by 2030, will launch the Tavascan full-electric compact SUV in 2024 as its subsequent mannequin after the Born, adopted by the UrbanRebel-based mannequin after which a future SUV.

On the query of electrifying the Seat vary, Griffiths refused to be drawn, however mentioned that after 2025 “there’ll nonetheless be demand for combustion engine vehicles, and particularly for plug-in hybrids.”

He added that the group will provide mobility providers with the Seat model, as its younger-than-average buyer base usually shuns automobile possession.

Griffiths mentioned each manufacturers would proceed “till the top of the last decade” and added that no matter occurs after that can rely upon how briskly the electrical market develops.

One Seat mannequin whose destiny hangs within the steadiness is the small Ibiza hatchback. When the Martorell plant the place the Ibiza is constructed turns into a hub for constructing small EVs from 2025, it isn’t clear what is going to occur to the Ibiza.

“Clearly we need to electrify the Seat Ibiza section with a small EV primarily based on the VW platform. That section will grow to be electrified from 2025 onwards,” Griffiths mentioned.

Combustion-engine vehicles will proceed to be bought in parallel so long as there’s demand for them,” Griffiths added.

The Ibiza is at present Seat’s third hottest mannequin after the Leon compact hatchback and the Arona small SUV, in keeping with JATO Dynamics.

Gross sales of the Ibiza in Europe had been 43,230 by means of June, up 46 p.c from the primary half of 2020.

Any doable phase-out of Seat fashions, nonetheless sluggish, will put strain on Cupra to fill the hole.

However already, Cupra is gaining floor towards its sibling model.

The Cupra Formentor compact crossover has bought 35,000 models to date this yr and was the preferred mannequin from both model in Germany, Seat’s largest market.

“We want we may ship extra, however provide was constrained by the chip scarcity,” Griffiths mentioned.

Fifty p.c of the Formentor fashions bought had been plug-in hybrids, he added.