AA patrols will shed their traditionally liveried vehicles and uniforms for the first time in their history in a new pilot scheme with SEAT. They will now take on the manufacturer's vehicles and outfits and be dedicated uniquely to the SEAT brand in their daily repair and rescue.

The initiative could lead to the AA providing roadside recovery and rescue services to other manufacturers in their own branded vehicles. Over the next six months, SEAT company car drivers stranded by the roadside within the M25 perimeter will be greeted by a yellow SEAT Alhambra sporting SEAT Assistance livery and an AA patrol kitted out in SEAT clothing.

If the scheme is successful, both companies say they will look at rolling out the SEAT Assistance programme nationally - the AA already provides roadside assistance to all SEAT drivers. Under the pilot scheme, the London region will be serviced by three fully liveried SEAT Alhambras equipped with the same level of parts, tools and equipment as a standard AA patrol and linked via a satellite location system to a dedicated call centre.