Algeria - The Spanish OEM has started building the two models in the city of Relizane, Algeria, at a plant owned by the Volkswagen Group and Sovac. It already assembles the Ibiza here, but as SEAT vice president for marketing and sales Wayne Griffiths explained, localising Arona and Leon assembly is the next step in the company's plan for North Africa.

"In order to boost our globalisation strategy it’s essential that we assemble models outside Europe, just as other European carmakers are doing," he stated. "Algeria is our first step in this direction... With the Arona and the Leon we are expanding the range of products that we offer in Algeria and this will enable us to consolidate our position in this country. We are and want to continue to be one of the fastest growing brands in Europe, and at the same time, we want to grow globally."

The news follows shortly on from an announcement in which SEAT revealed it was heading up the VW Group's strategy in the region. SEAT delivered 11,400 cars in Algeria during the first six months of 2018, which places it among the company's highest volume markets.

In terms of global sales, SEAT achieved its best ever results during the period, delivering a total of 289,900 units. This marks a 17.6% increase compared to the same period in 2017.

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