The fleet of the renowned, traditional company, which is based in the northern Italian city of Parma, currently consists of almost 1,000 vehicles, of which approximately 400 are for sales representatives in Italy as well as 15 further carpool vehicles and 35 models at the respective production sites.

In an effort to expand the Barilla fleet in a sensible manner, Giovanni Tortorici, global supply chain-purchasing manager at Barilla, was seeking vehicles that not only correspond to domestic working conditions, but also offer good value for money and deployed 150 SEAT Leon and the SEAT Leon ST in the 1.6-litre diesel version.

“With the new SEAT Leon, which is also available in the ST version, we found an outstanding solution for meeting our current demand of 150 vehicles: These vehicles are perfectly equipped and, in view of the TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) performance, fulfil all of our requirements for an ideal fleet vehicle,” said Mr Tortorici.

Barilla is currently adding another seven SEAT Leon models to its fleet in Italy.

There are three designated areas within the company’s car policy: users in the ‘Management’, ‘Sales Representatives’ and ‘Production Sites and General Vehicle Pool’ categories.

While the brand can be a decisive incentive factor at management level, the remaining vehicles are considered an important day-to-day business tool – particularly for the sales representatives. So the company welcomed such positive feedback from their drivers regarding the Spanish additions to the Barilla car park.

“Our employees who use the SEAT models are extremely satisfied, not just in terms of the quality and the driving characteristics of the vehicles, but also with the premium fittings,” explained Mr Tortorici. “In particular, the introduction of estate version, the Leon ST, was a clear highlight for the majority of drivers, not least due to the large amount of space on offer.”

Tortorici also praised the complete package of vehicles and financing.

“SEAT, in collaboration with Volkswagen Financial Services, has put together an excellent full package for us – together with an unbeatable price,” he said. “In addition to the favourable conditions and associated low costs, along with the highest level of quality, it was the comprehensive, good service that convinced us above all else.”

The two firms are also looking at expanding the cooperation, including the possible addition of the seven-seater SEAT Alhambra as well as the SEAT Leon TGI version, in particular for the production sites, due to its economical natural gas turbo engine.

“In the future, we will maintain our current course with SEAT and Volkswagen Financial Services, simply because everything about this collaboration works so well,” Mr Tortorici concluded.