Seat, alongside the Universitat Politècnica de Cataluña Cooperative and Volkswagen Group Research are setting up a technology and innovation hub in Barcelona called the Automotive Research Network (CARNET). Aimed at developing and test-driving potential digital solutions for future urban transport and mobility needs, it will initially focus on three projects called Microcities; Parkfinder; and Urban-Co-Car.

"The future of the [automotive] industry depends on research and innovation," said Seat Vice-president for R&D, Dr. Matthias Rabe. "CARNET is our commitment to creating the urban mobility of the future in Barcelona, the city that serves as the inspiration for our vehicles."

According to the latest Juniper Research global smart city rankings, Barcelona is second only to Singapore when it comes to leveraging the latest technologies to address issues such as urban mobility, energy consumption and big data. Therefore, regardless of the inspiring role it plays in Seat's designs, there is no city in Europe better suited to serving as a real-world laboratory for testing urban mobility solutions.

By 2050, 70% of the world's population will be city dwellers. That will require a radical rethink in terms of energy provision and consumption, individual and mass transportation and the boundaries between personal and shared space.

Microcities, the first of the CARNET projects, examines how existing parking spaces and structures serving offices, government buildings or shopping centers can be repurposed as transport hubs -- intersections where, with the help of sensors, integrated apps and other real-time data, modes of transport can switch seamlessly -- bus to train, train to car, or car to bicycle for example. The spaces will also provide services consumers need.

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Parkfinder, meanwhile is a real-time service for identifying and navigating to available car parking spaces and is already up and running in prototype form in Barcelona's Les Corts district.

Urban Co-Car will try to reduce the number of vehicles on the road travelling to the same destination. Using data and analytics it will calculate the best routes for a vehicle to take so that as many individuals as possible can hitch a ride for all, or some of the journey -- a digitally supported improved car pooling system.

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"Mobility in the automotive sector is undergoing a paradigm shift", said Volkswagen Group Research executive director Professor Dr. Jürgen Leohold. "Through CARNET, [we] aim to develop ideas and promote projects in Barcelona, one of the most attractive smart cities for the study of mobility."