SEAT is going to unlock its full digital potential during the upcoming Mobile World Congress. The company, which is participating for the third year in a row at the Congress, will be exhibiting for the first time with its own stand and an ambitious approach. Connectivity, the SEAT ID as the gateway to the brand’s digital ecosystem, an electric prototype car and talks by experts in new technologies will be the main themes of the brand’s presence at the Congress, and they can all be experienced in the 500 m2 stand located in Hall 3 of the venue.
The main area in the stand will feature an impressive simulator to show the technologies the company is developing and which open the door to a new form of interaction between the car, the driver and their environment. With the goal of becoming a front-runner in vehicle connectivity, the company is creating a whole digital ecosystem, which is accessed via the SEAT ID, with which the company seeks to customise and enhance the user experience.
After configuring their mobile phone, visitors to the SEAT stand can sit at the wheel of a SEAT simulator and see for themselves, on an 88-inch screen, what the applications and on-demand functions are like that the brand is working on. A predictive assistant will help drivers optimise their time, anticipating their needs and offering suggestions automatically according to the context. Real time traffic forecasts, en-route recommendations (restaurants, shops, services, etc.) and suggestions depending on schedule changes are some of the features also included in the digital ecosystem that the brand is developing. Can you imagine never again arriving late for work, because your car guides you every step of the way?
Until all these apps are integrated in the vehicle, SEAT will offer these functions via a Dongle, a device which enables vehicles that are not adapted to support digital technologies (such as the ones sold in the past) to access connectivity services that will be included in the connected car. In this way, drivers of older cars can begin to experience these technologies before the connected car becomes available.
Electric prototype
In addition to developments in connectivity, SEAT is also displaying an electric prototype, at the MWC. The car will be used to test the possibilities of this technology in shared vehicles in Barcelona. In fact, in the next few weeks SEAT is going to implement a car-sharing pilot project for employees with this car in the city. Users will access the service with Digital Access technology, developed for collaborative economy environments, which enables a physical key to be replaced with a mobile phone.
SEAT Talks
The third area of the SEAT stand will be dedicated to the SEAT Talks, a programme of lectures where several speakers will discuss connectivity and the role of technologies in the scope of mobility and the automotive industry; an open, “Speak Easy” space dedicated to mobility and new business models. The participants include internationally renowned experts such as Johann Jungwirth, Chief Digital Officer of Volkswagen AG; Vicent Rosso, general manager of BlaBlaCar in Spain; professor Enrique Dans of the IE University or Max Krasnykh and Nadav Zohar, from Gett.
In addition to these speakers, other participants include the members of SEAT’s Easy Mobility Team, the company’s transversal team which is working on future solutions related to digitisation and R&D, customer experience and new business areas. The team is preparing the company for the challenges facing the automotive sector in upcoming years due to electrification, digitisation, new mobility services and the connected car, and will explain what SEAT is doing in these fields. Likewise, some of the start-ups that SEAT is collaborating with to develop future technologies will present their projects in the presentations area of the stand.
4YFN and YOMO
SEAT’s presence at the MWC goes beyond the main venue. It will also participate in the 4 Years From Now (4YFN) meeting point for start-ups, where the company will have a space to recruit highly skilled talent and professionals from technological environments. In addition, company vehicles will be used by VIPs and speakers attending both the MWC and the 4YFN venues, for their shifts in the city.
SEAT is also going to participate in the Youth Mobile Festival (YOMO) side event, one of the novelties at the upcoming edition of the MWC which has been designed to enable more than 20,000 students from all over Spain aged from 10 to 16 to experiment with science and technology. The company is going to give them the opportunity to get to know Barcelona in 4D thanks to a system of augmented reality.
Furthermore, SEAT will also be present at the stand of mobile payment solution specialist Sunhill. Three SEAT cars equipped with FullLink technology will be available for visitors to check out how connected car technology works in combination with the Travipay car park mobile reservation and payment system.
SEAT’s comprehensive display at the upcoming edition of the Mobile World Congress illustrates the extent of the digital transformation the company is undergoing to position the connected car at the centre of the driver experience, in line with its goal of becoming the leading provider of the easiest mobility solutions.
