Seat confirms Tarraco name for new SUV, launch is set for end of 2018

Last year during the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show, SEAT offered a list of name options that they will use for their all new three-row SUV. While three of those names were of cities, there was one that stood out as it paid homage to the western region of the Mediterranean Sea. Now, the automaker has announced which name they will use and that will be the Seat Tarraco.

If you are familiar with European geography as well as Roman history, then you must have already heard about the Roman city on the Iberian Peninsula. Today, it is known as Tarragona. When the poll was published, around 150,000 people voted in SEAT’s naming campaign. Of these votes, 35% went to Tarraco for a significant victory over the second most popular name, which is Avila.

We finally know what to call SEAT’s new three-row SUV. But do we know any more information about the car? Well, SEAT also published a teaser photo of it as you can see here. It does look like the SUV can fit seven passengers comfortably. We also know that it will be launched towards the end of the year - and that is pretty much what the automaker shared with us regarding this model.

Another thing we do know from previous reports is the fact that the Tarraco will sit on the Volkswagen Group’s MQB platform that underpins a few current SUVs including the Skoda Kodiaq and the VW Tiguan Allspace. Having said that, we expect to see some similarities between these models, and we could tell from the teaser photos that they convey some of that already. In fact, late last year, there was a rendering of the SUV that was published, and it was actually pretty close to what we are seeing now.

The SEAT’s flagship is scheduled to be officially launched by the end of the year, but we expect to see it next month when the automaker unveils it at the Geneva Motor Show. As for the engine, its offerings will be similar to those of the Kodiaq, with 1.4 liter and 2.0 liter TSI engines as well as a diesel option. This will then likely be followed by a hybrid variant later on.

Perhaps we will get a more detailed look at this model after it makes an appearance in Switzerland next month. I’m sure you’d all want to know how much the new three-row SEAT Tarraco costs. However, it is a bit too soon for the automaker to share these details to us just yet. We’ll have to wait until we get closer to the flagship model’s release date.

PRESS RELEASE

SEAT fans choose Tarraco to name the brand’s new SUV

SEAT Tarraco. This will be the name of the brand’s third SUV. The 146,124 fans of the SEAT brand in 134 countries who participated in the final stage of #SEATseekingName decided that the brand’s new SUV will be named Tarraco. Tarraco received 51,903 (35.52%) of the valid votes, followed by Avila, which was supported by 41,993 (28.74%) of the participants, Aranda, in third place with 39,321 (26.91%) of the votes, and Alboran, with 12,907 (8.83%). The results of the votes were certified by EY.

Tarraco, like the other three finalist proposals, is aligned with SEAT’s values and perfectly matches the personality of the new model. The city’s modern day name is Tarragona, and as the oldest Roman settlement on the Iberian Peninsula, it was one of the major metropolises of Hispania during the Roman Empire. This Mediterranean city is a legacy of culture, youthfulness, history and architecture, values which SEAT identifies with and conveys through its vehicles.

Tarraco is the first SEAT model name to be chosen by popular vote and the fourteenth Spanish place name used to designate a brand model. 36 years have gone by since the Ronda was the first SEAT model named after a Spanish city in 1982. Since then there have been 12 more models with a place name from all over the Spanish geography: Ibiza, Malaga, Marbella, Toledo, Inca, Alhambra, Cordoba, Arosa, Leon, Altea, and the two most recent ones, Ateca and Arona.

#SEATseekingName, a successful turnout

The initiative #SEATseekingName exceeded all expectations. The company would publicly like to thank everyone who participated, and especially the cities of Avila, Aranda and Alboran for their huge deployment and mobilisation activities. In the first stage a total of 133,332 proposals were received from SEAT fans in 106 countries, who put forward 10,130 different Spanish place names following the guidelines defined by the brand.

In the next stage of the rigorous selection process, the proposals were verified using linguistic and legal criteria, and experts ensured that the names matched the brand values and conveyed the essence of the new model. Then several focus groups in the brand’s major markets were organised and further market tests were carried out in the different countries where SEAT sells its vehicles to come up with the list of four finalists.

Alboran, Aranda, Avila and Tarraco were the chosen place names. From that moment the voting period remained open for all brand fans to cast a vote for their favourite candidate, and the winning name is Tarraco.

The new Tarraco completes SEAT’s SUV offensive

With the new SEAT Tarraco, the company is adding a new model to its biggest product offensive carried out to date and completes its SUV range, which already comprises the Ateca and the Arona, with a large vehicle that seats up to 7 passengers. The product offensive kicked off in 2016 with the launch of the Ateca and continued in 2017 with the Leon facelift, the fifth generation Ibiza and the new Arona crossover. The SEAT Tarraco will be launched at the end of this year.