[Tell]

Away for three weeks and my two local dealers now wanted to deal. Ah well Seat you stuff me with leather seats on an Xcellence and no deal. APR was 4.9 % or £1,000 off.

That latter figure isn't in the broker ball park in any case. As I muttered three weeks ago Seat dealers don't seem to be shifting them too fast in the pre launch from my Q&A. My second local dealer fessed up that they had sold (taken an order) their first this week. An Xcellence probably to a leather queen I guess . I'm wrecking their marketing since they don't supply cloth options as VW do in their SUV range.

I don't get the impression that Seat are much good on factory orders and just punt out low / minimum spec models to dealers for sale. This was said to me by a dealer in the north that Seat only give us the specs that sell. So their ethos is not to give the customer too much choice. The evidence is also by allowing customers to design one special edition as a PR stunt on what the options are except they are limited on the Xcellence.

 

[Magpie86]

You may have hit the nail on the head. Not sure they have much experience selling the top end cars at the Xcellence Ateca price level.

I read somewhere today the 7 door version of their SUV/Crossover line up may arrive in 2020. But a quote from one of the top brass said they need to earn the right to sell cars at that price range first. Option choices may come into that particular issue.

Have to say a few grand off would probably keep me happy enough! But I will never pay the full cost of the car off. I don't expect instant amazing deals as I understand Seat may want to sell a few at full price for the first couple of months. Get the eager beevers hooked first. Situation may change when cars are in showrooms and demand can be properly judged. More waiting games ahead.

 

[Tell]

It's an interesting period since if it is true that discounts haven't arrived because they haven't got their fleet costs sorted out and that was expected in August / September time then they won't be doing discounts. I only see the market as an upgrade to the Altea range putting in an SUV rather than the MPV that the Altea was close to, no more than a Golf Plus which was the same car. That didn't catch on for Seat in the UK being owned by a select few that knew a good car when they saw one. Where I think their drive that Leon's owners are natural owners of the Ateca won't be true no more than it was for the Altea. That was their first mistake in marketing although I could see the Ateca being used for the kids run which is where most of the SUVs come in round here, you need something to bounce up the kerb outside the school. Next mistake is restricting the options in the UK which has caused aggravation, upholstery, engine choice and colour.

It could turn out like Fiat that Seat can't sell big cars in the UK and have a small minded misdirected approach. I would buy the 4WD DSG 190 in cloth upholstery as they sell elsewhere in Europe, if it was available, but they aren't getting my sale for one in leather, I will buy another SUV so they have lost my sale. I vaguely hope that they might be listening and alter their pre sales brochure but probably not so you can just stroke a line across all the sales in the options that they aren't giving you in the UK and people walk. Apparently in the US leather seats in some parts give you heat burn.

Having a test drive in the sister car next week, probably go into buying mode perhaps at the end of the month. I see the pound is still getting even more week against the Euro which will undermine car costs (perversely I get richer as this happens). I could delay till the first week in September to do a like for like comparison of nasty leather upholstery against cloth in the new cars or take the plunge based on the sister car discounts. Drive the deal discounts were looking good on the sister car a few weeks back. As mused before dealerships have got to be up to supporting a more expensive refined car, Seat dealerships are patchy, least round here so that's a factor, elsewhere in the country they are as good as VW. So yes whilst I would love to keep to the Seat brand it doesn't look like it's going to turn out like that through Seat being a bit pigheaded in not giving customers choice and not sorting out their dealer network to improve standards. The former is easy to fix and it's just down to arrogance of Seat UK trying to make their mark and pretending to know what customers want rather than getting on with the job of selling cars. Disconnect there.