Seat’s new Mii – the brand’s badge-engineered variant of parent Volkswagen’s Up and affliate Skoda’s Citigo – is expected to attract a new generation of buyers to the brand when it goes on sale in the UK next summer, according to product and planning manager Andy Medcraft.
Prices for the Mii (pronounced ‘me’ not ‘my’) will start at around GBP7,500, well below the sector average price of GBP9,100, he said.
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Competitors are the Peugeot 107, Toyota Aygo and Kia Picanto/Hyundai i10 rather than the VW and Skoda siblings, Medcraft insisted, adding that there is very little cross-over of buyers between Seat, VW and Skoda.
Apart from price, the Mii will be differentiated by its equipment levels which are planned to be more generous than those of the Up and the Citigo, although final negotiations are ongoing. Those should be completed by the end of the year and customers will be able to order a new Mii starting in the new year.
Seat has one of the youngest buyer profiles in the industry at around 40 according to independent industry figures, noted Medcraft, and the Mii is expected to maintain that trend.
“We’re expecting about 60 to 65% of buyers to be women which is the reverse of where we are at the moment with the rest of the range so it’s a great opportunity to extend the brand further.”
One feature that Medcraft expects to be particularly attractive to younger buyers is the portable sat-nav and infotainment system which incorporates a hands-free phone and onboard computer. All Miis will be prewired to accept it so it can be bought later.
“It would make an ideal gift,” said Medcraft. The accessory is expected to cost around GBP300.
