• CUPRA tripled sales, driven by success of Formentor, reaching almost 80,000 vehicles
• Sales of electrified vehicles quadrupled, from 14,700 to 60,600 cars
• Shortage of semiconductors prevented a full recovery in manufacturing volume
• Demand for both SEAT and CUPRA brands has returned to pre-COVID record figures

SEAT S.A. sold 470,500 vehicles during 2021, a 10.3 per cent increase on 2020 (426,600).

The company's sales grew thanks to CUPRA and the demand for electrified models, with greater recovery stifled by the significant impact of the semiconductor shortage, which has affected the entire industry.

In 2021, SEAT S.A. electric and plug-in hybrid vehicle sales quadrupled, from 14,700 to 60,600 cars.

CUPRA tripled its sales, reaching a volume of 79,300 vehicles for the year, driven predominantly by the Formentor. 41 per cent of CUPRA sales in the past 12 months were electrified vehicles.

'2021 was not the year we expected', said Wayne Griffiths, CEO of SEAT and CUPRA.'After working hard to fight the effects of the COVID-19 crisis, our activities were severely affected by the semiconductor shortage. Demand for SEAT and CUPRA products has returned to pre-pandemic levels, and the shortage of semiconductors is creating frustration among our customers due to the high delivery times they have to face.'

Griffiths continued,'We expect to see a progressive recovery in the supply situation and vehicle production stabilising in 2022, and are optimistic towards the year ahead. Our clients remain our top priority and we will do everything we can to meet their expectations.'

Germany is again SEAT S.A.'s leading market, with 104,100 vehicles sold, 5.0% less than in 2020 (109,500). This was followed by Spain with 81,800 sales, 11.5% more than the previous year (2020: 73,300), and the United Kingdom, with 50,700, an 11.2% increase (2020: 45,600). Completing the top five countries for the company were France (31,200) and Italy (27,600), who achieved a growth of 14.0% and 24.6%, respectively versus 2020.

SEAT S.A.'s sales also grew solidly in Mexico (20,900, a 39.3% increase over 2020), Turkey (12,700, +10.3%) and Israel (12,600, +20.6%).

The best-selling CUPRA model was the Formentor coupe SUV, with 54,600 units sold, representing almost 70 per cent of the cars sold by CUPRA brand in 2021.

3,300 units of CUPRA Born, the brand's first 100% electric car which went on sale in the UK in December, have been delivered so far – a promising start that CUPRA expects to build on in the coming months.

The top sales markets for CUPRA were Germany (30,800), Spain (11,000), UK (7,700), Italy (6,200) and France (4,100).

SEAT achieved sales of 391,200, a 2.0 per cent decline versus 2020, which were impacted by the shortage of semiconductors. SEAT's best-selling vehicles were the Arona (106,900 units), Ibiza (95,800), and Leon (87,700). The best-selling markets for the brand were Germany (73,300 units sold), Spain (70,800), UK (43,000), France (27,100) and Italy (21,500).

The shortage of semiconductors prevented a full recovery in manufacturing volume after a 2020 marked by the pandemic. Despite this, globally, SEAT S.A. production grew to 423,888 in 2021, a 4.2 per cent increase compared to the previous year (406,706).

Production at the Martorell plant, the heart of SEAT S.A.'s headquarters, increased by 9.8 per cent in 2021 compared to 2020. 385,200 units of the SEAT Ibiza, SEAT Arona, SEAT Leon, CUPRA Leon, CUPRA Formentor, and Audi A1 were produced. However, this was almost 30 per cent below the plant's capacity.

'SEAT and CUPRA have their strongest ranges ever on the market. Over the past two years, CUPRA has released completely new and exclusive models: the CUPRA Formentor, the brand's first uniquely designed and developed model, and the CUPRA Born, its first 100% electric vehicle. While SEAT launched its best-ever SEAT Leon, updated the SEAT Ateca, SEAT Ibiza and SEAT Arona, and also launched the SEAT Leon and SEAT Tarraco e-HYBRID', said Kai Vogler, Executive Vice-President for Sales & Marketing, SEAT S.A.'With the new additions to the family and the desired improvement of the global semiconductor situation, we are optimistic about the future.'

Despite the semiconductor shortage and the ongoing uncertainty that will be present during the year ahead, SEAT S.A. will consolidate its electrification strategy in 2022. Following the successful launch of its first 100% electric vehicle, CUPRA Born, the brand will expand the range with different battery capacities (45, 58 and 77kWh) as well as the more powerful e-Boost version (170kW). An exclusive version of the left-hand drive-only CUPRA Formentor VZ5 will also be introduced, limited to 999 units (exclusive Taiga Grey exterior colour and a specific interior), as well as special editions of the current range.

*rounded figures.