Is WordPress a right choice for my
requirements? Is it only for blogging
or can be used for any kind of site?
(corporate, portfolio, catalog,
personal info etc.)
WordPress can absolutely be used for any kind of site. But note that while things like post and pages are ready out of the box and simple to use, it takes some additional development if you want to implement your own types of content with more complex data (Custom Post Types).
Will I need some kind of plugins for
SEO and displaying product catalog?How can I remove the blog look (posts/dates/comments etc.) from the site?
There is number of highly functional and free SEO plugins available. WordPress SEO by Yoast gets a lot of traction lately.
Displaying content mostly depends on theme. There is an insane amount of themes available (starting with official repository and beyond), but as above – it may take some development if you need to implement something more complex.