SEAT Annual Report 2011 - Volkswagen AG

Research andDevelopmentINNOVATIONSEAT’s Technical Centre (CTS), locatedat the Martorell facility, makes SEAT theonly Spanish car manufacturer with thefull-range capacity to design, develop,manufacture and distribute its ownvehicles in an integrated fashion. Theactivity carried out at this benchmarkcentre in the field of R&D strengthensthe brand even further, while at the sametime making SEAT the most importantindustrial investor in R&D+i in Spain.The CTS staff put all their creativity andinnovative capacity to work in the continuousimprovement of development processes.The launch of the Mii in November 2011marked the beginning the greatest productoffensive in the history of SEAT, whose newDNA is visible in the latest concept cars – theIBE (urban sports coupé), IBX (crossover)and the IBL (saloon).An illustration of the effort and workput in throughout the year can be seenin the 280 projects developed. Anefficient technical effort reflected in thefollowing figures: 2,500 simulations,60 prototypes, 2 motor show vehicles(IBX and IBL), 2.5 million kilometres oflengthy test drives in 17 countries, anda total of 110 registrations, 83 fordesign models, and 27 for utility modelsand patents.The continuous flexibility and capacity ofthe CTS enable SEAT to head innovativeprojects in the field of electric motoring,such as Cenit VERDE, which brings together16 companies from different industrialsectors and 13 research centres. Projectdevelopments in the fields of design andcomponents mean that a demonstrationplug-in hybrid vehicle will be availablein 2012. Also, new strategies are beinginvestigated so as to minimise consumptionand provide communication protocolsfor recharging operations. In conjunctionwith electrical utility companies, a studyis being carried out to see the feasibility ofthe connection en masse of these vehiclesto the national power grid, together withnew services to be offered in the future.SEAT already has a plug-in hybrid vehicle– the León TwinDrive – and the first units ofthe Altea XL Electric Ecomotive, a full electricvehicle with a range of approximately135 kilometres. By manufacturing thesemodels, we acquire greater know-howin both technologies – hybrid and fullelectric. In this same vein, throughout2012 a pilot project will be rolled out,involving the supply of these vehiclesto private companies and governmentalorganisations, so as to get as muchinformation as possible from the end-userand see reactions to new technologies.Also, an agreement with Ficosa and SanyoIBL concept car, a dynamic and sporty saloon.66 | Annual Report 2011 | Research and Development