SEAT’s chief operating officer Erich Schmitt gave a very interesting interview to the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung unveiling many details on the Spanish carmaker’s future plans. Among other things, Schmitt said that in order for Seat to reach its 2018 goals which include doubling annual car sales to 800,000 and a return on investment of more than 15 percent, the Spanish carmaker will have to cut more jobs, be more productive and add expand its model portfolio.

According to Schmitt, while SEAT aims to cut another 700 jobs in addition to 900 work places that have already gone out the window, it will reduce production time of its core models. As an example, Schmitt said that the production time for the next-generation Ibiza will be reduced to 18 hours compared to the 27 hours that are needed to build the current model. -Continued

In terms of products, SEAT’s CEO said that the company will expand its portfolio from seven models in three different categories today to 15 models in eight segments by 2012 (including the Audi A4 based Bolero in 2009) while by the year 2018, SEAT’s range will consist of up to 40 different models. According to Schmitt, the VW’s Spanish subsidiary will create cars with a sporty design and Audi quality for SEAT prices.

Via: FAZ