Had a packed diary yesterday. There were meetings, followed by a drive down to the Cotswolds.
After I’d spent an interminable time spent in a traffic jam courtesy of a broken down fuel tanker – although it did allow me to give full attention to the splendid Ken Clarke interview on Radio 5 Live – I was able to get out onto open roads.
Talking with Nick Andrews of SEAT on the launch of the new Exeo
The Audi A4 was ideal for this cruising. There’s enough low-down surge from the engine that you don’t need to change out of sixth. You just squeeze the throttle and move past slower traffic on the motorways and dual carriageways.
I was on my way to drive the new SEAT Exeo. This is SEAT’s first ever business saloon in the Ford Mondeo/Honda Accord market.
The Exeo is based on the previous generation Audi A4. You can see the car parked next to my Audi in the picture. SEAT engineers have taken the dash from the A4 cabriolet, and the diesel engines from the current A4 range – so the 2.0 TDI has the same 143PS unit that’s in my A4. They’ve designed new front and rear ends. And updated and tweaked – very successfully – the suspension.
That evening I had a chance to speak to Nick Andrews over dinner. Nick, the new head of fleet and business sales, has just joined SEAT…from Audi! So he should know a thing or two about the Exeo.
Nick said that one reason to use the Audi A4 as the base was it gave the company a fast track into the key business car and company car sector. And, being based on an A4, gave the car the important quality pedigree SEAT needed to tackle this market sector.
The car is also stuffed full of kit – it’s also the first in this sector to offer standard Bluetooth hands-free across the range. And Nick reckons it will be perfect for small businesses who want a value for money premium saloon.
But Nick reckons SEAT can go further than just offer good cars. It’s the relationship with small businesses that he sees as key. “One of the biggest things for us is how we look after the customer once they’ve chosen a SEAT,” he told me.
“By that I mean we must be more than a car manufacturer. We must be able to offer business car consultancy, advising businesses on policy and on business car tax. Either we do it, or we let someone else do it. Frankly, I would rather it was us. That’s where we have to move SEAT forward.”
It’s ambitious. But then Nick, only three weeks into the job, has big plans for SEAT and small businesses. I look forward to the story unfolding. And seeing how far SEAT gets.
