The small mini car manufactured by SEAT was on sale from 1997 to 2004.
The Arosa was named after a municipality located in Spain, Vilagarcia de Arousa, and was designed to serve as a city car, easy to handle and easy to park.

The first generation that came to life in 1997 was available as a 3-door hatchback offering seats for 4. While the passengers in the front would enjoy a nice ride, the back seats were suitable for children only.

The Aorsa was the Volkswagen’s Lupo, sharing the same platform - the A00 platform, a smaller version of the platform used for the Polo and the Ibiza bigger sister.

The Arosa was designed by Jozef Kaban, the same man who designed the Bugatti Veyron, and it was manufactured at the VW plant in Germany.

The facelifted Arosa revealed in 2001 had a refreshed exterior design, with a new split grille that emphasised the Seat badge, completely new headlights and redesigned taillights.
The inside of the Arosa was also modified and came with a new dashboard.

The new Arosa came with 3 petrol engines and 3 Diesel engines to choose from, all powerplants mated with a 5-speed manual transmission or a 4-speed automatic optional on the 1.4-Liter petrol engine.

The Spanish company, Seat, was founded in 1950 with the aid of Fiat.
Once the partnership with Fiat ended, Seat found itself in a difficult situation as the company’s reduced dimensions were blocking its self-development. Thus, in 1982 they started an alliance with the Volkswagen Group.

The Seat Arosa was actually the less expensive version of a Volkswagen Polo, however, it was a quiet, refined, sophisticated and a well equipped vehicle. Plus, the Arosa was sold with a 3 year warranty in comparison with the Volkswagen’s warranty of 12 months.

Although it was a 4-seater, the passengers in the rear would not feel very comfortable due to limited head and mostly reduced legroom. However, the front seats offered great comfort and enough space even for a taller person.

The Arosa could be equipped with twin airbags, ABS and even air conditioning, which was more likely to see on a luxury car in 1997.

Even with the optional packages for comfort, safety and style included, the car was more than affordable. Even if it was an entry car, it had mid-range specs.

The Arosa was sold with 3 engine options, 2 petrol and 1 diesel - all of them having a low fuel consumption.

The car was a good match for the city traffic, however, it did not offer a rewarding ride on the highway. And it was not built for that. Its trunk did not have enough capacity to fill it up with luggages for a holiday.

The Arosa won its customers for its price and features.