VW Group-owned Seat has begun the final assembly of the Arona and the Leon models at a plant in Algeria.
The plant owned by the Volkswagen Group and SOVAC, the Group’s importer in Algeria, in the city of Relizane, which is located 280 kilometres southwest of Algiers. Both models are now on sale through Seat dealerships in Algeria.
The Arona and the Leon models follows the Ibiza in Algeria. All models are manufactured in the Martorell, Spain, factory, and the final assembly for the Algerian market is now being carried out in the Relizane plant. Seat says the Ibiza, which has been assembled in Algeria since the plant was inaugurated one year ago, has triggered a considerable sales increase for the brand in Algeria.
In the first six months of 2018, Seat delivered 11,400 cars in Algeria, which has become one of the brand’s highest volume markets.
Seat Vice-president for Marketing and Sales Wayne Griffiths said: “in order to boost our globalisation strategy it’s essential that we assemble models outside Europe, just as other European carmakers are doing. Algeria is our first step in this direction, as it is one of the main markets in the region and a real growth opportunity for Seat, as are the rest of the countries in northern Africa, where Seat is responsible for leading the Volkswagen Group’s expansion.
“With the Arona and the Leon we are expanding the range of products that we offer in Algeria and this will enable us to consolidate our position in this country. We are and want to continue to be one of the fastest growing brands in Europe, and at the same time, we want to grow globally.”
In the first half of the year, Seat achieved record overall volume with 289,900 cars delivered worldwide, which is 17.6% more than in the same period of 2017 (246,500).
The Martorell factory produced 283,312 vehicles in the first half (up 20.6% on last year) and the plant achieved a utilisation level of 95% of its current maximum capacity, which is equivalent to 2,300 cars daily. In the second half of the year, the Audi A1 is going to replace the Audi Q3 on line 3, which is expected to be at full capacity by the end of this year.
