SEAT Delivers 500 Leon Ecomotive to British Gas

SEAT has just confirmed the delivery of 500 Leon Ecomotive units to British utility company Centrica, one of the largest supplier of gas to domestic customers in the UK and one of the top electricity suppliers. Operating under the trading name of British Gas, the company represents the largest buyer of ecological cars for SEAT, the Spanish company said in a press statement.

The two parties signed an agreement back in December, with the 500-unit fleet scheduled to be delivered in the first quarter of 2010.

“SEAT has taken an industry-leading approach; innovative, flexible and way ahead of anyone else involved in the tender process,” said Colin Marriott, fleet manager at British Gas, back in December. “This is a fantastic addition to our fleet and the additional advanced engineering features help us to continue to lead the way on reducing emissions.”

The new Leon Ecomotive achieves a fuel consumption rating of just 3.8 l/100km (61.9 mpg), while releasing only 99 grams of CO2 every kilometer. Additionally, the car employs a Auto Start/Stop function and a energy recovery system that further contributes to cutting emissions and improving fuel economy.

The delivery of the cars was made by SEAT´s Director of Export Markets Jochen Funk and the Martorell factory Manager Juan Ramón Rodríguez.

“Obviously the team’s efforts in securing this business represent a major milestone for us,” stated SEAT UK Head of Fleet and Business Sales, Nick Andrews, when signing the deal. “Sally Livingstone, my new National Fleet Sales Manager, and the rest of the team have secured an outstanding result with this successful tender. But this is just the beginning: our aim is to make SEAT a fleet manufacturer of choice and we will be working hard to achieve that ambitious target over the months and years ahead.”