The SEAT Málaga (codenamed ''023A'') is a four-door saloon produced by the Spanish automaker

SEAT A seat is a place to sit. The term may encompass additional features, such as back, armrest, head restraint but also headquarters in a wider sense. Types of seat The following are examples of different kinds of seat: * Armchair (furniture), ...

from 1985 to 1991 and named after the city of

Málaga Málaga (, ) is a municipality of Spain, capital of the Province of Málaga, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. With a population of 578,460 in 2020, it is the second-most populous city in Andalusia after Seville and the sixth most pop ...

Andalucía Andalusia (, ; es, Andalucía ) is the southernmost Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Peninsular Spain. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomous community in the country. It is officially recognised as a ...

in southern Spain. It can be considered a saloon variant of the SEAT Ibiza, although the underpinnings of the Málaga and the Ibiza Mark 1 were both based upon those of the

SEAT Ronda The SEAT Ronda (codenamed ''022A'') was a small family car produced by the Spanish automaker SEAT from 1982 to 1986, and styled by Rayton Fissore in collaboration with the Technical Centre in Martorell. The Ronda was also briefly sold in the Unite ...

. This was a restyled version of the SEAT Ritmo, which in its turn was the rebadged version of the

Fiat Ritmo The Fiat Ritmo is a small, front-engine, front-wheel drive family car manufactured and marketed by Fiat, launched in April 1978 at the Turin Motor show and offered in 3- and 5-door hatchback and cabriolet body styles – from 1978 to 1988 with t ...

. The Málaga most closely resembled the

Fiat Regata The Fiat Regata is an automobile produced by Italian automaker Fiat from 1983 until 1990. The Regata name was used for the sedan and station wagon versions of the Fiat Ritmo hatchback, corresponding to the post-facelift Ritmo. The Regata was off ...

, which was

Fiat Fiat Automobiles S.p.A. (, , ; originally FIAT, it, Fabbrica Italiana Automobili di Torino, lit=Italian Automobiles Factory of Turin) is an Italian automobile manufacturer, formerly part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, and since 2021 a subsidiary ...

’s own saloon version of the hatchback Fiat Ritmo. However, the SEAT Málaga and the Fiat Regata were developed separately as the two manufacturers had already ended their partnership by the time of the launch of their two saloon models. The SEAT Málaga was launched in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

in September 1985, along with the SEAT Ibiza. It largely competed with budget offerings such as the Hyundai Pony and those from Lada,

Škoda Škoda means ''pity'' in the Czech and Slovak languages. It may also refer to: Czech brands and enterprises * Škoda Auto, automobile and previously bicycle manufacturer in Mladá Boleslav ** Škoda Motorsport, the division of Škoda Auto respons ...

, Yugo and FSO. Production ended in May 1991, by which time SEAT had been taken over by the

Volkswagen Group Volkswagen AG (), known internationally as the Volkswagen Group, is a German multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. The company designs, manufactures and distributes passenger and commercial ...

. The car was replaced by the SEAT Toledo, the first Volkswagen-developed car from SEAT. The saloon based on the Ibiza, the SEAT Córdoba, was launched in end of 1993. The Málaga sold relatively well in Spain, but was less popular in export markets despite sharing the same System Porsche Powertrain as the SEAT Ibiza. The Málaga was marketed as the SEAT Gredos in

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

after the Spanish mountain range Sierra de Gredos, because the word ''Málaga'' was considered too similar to the ubiquitous Greek swear word ''

malakas ''Malakas'' ( gr, μαλάκας ) is a commonly used profane Greek slang word, with a variety of different meanings, but literally meaning "man who masturbates". While it is typically used as an insult, with its literal equivalent in Commonwea ...

.''

Sales and production figures

The total production per year of SEAT Málaga vehicles is shown in the following table: Seat Malaga Cambridge

References

External links

SEAT.com
official corporate website Malaga Cars introduced in 1985 1990s cars Front-wheel-drive vehicles Italdesign vehicles {{modern-auto-stub