Seat History

It was founded in the year 1950 as a subsidiary of Fiat, with an important share owned by the Spanish Government under Francisco Franco.
The acronym "SEAT" meant Sociedad Española de Automóviles de Turismo (Spanish Corporation of Private Cars).
Initially, SEAT manufactured rebadged Fiat models which differed very little visually from the products of the Italian parent. The SEAT Panda (later restyled as Marbella) for example was based on the Fiat Panda. The SEAT 600 (based on Fiat 600) was the first car for many Spanish families, and became a symbol of the Spanish Miracle.
The first car under the new SEAT logo without Fiat involvement appeared in 1982, and was called the SEAT Ronda.