Seat’s all-new Ibiza supermini has been awarded two prestigious prizes by judges in Germany and the Netherlands.
Influential German newspaper Bild am Sonntag – one of Europe’s biggest-selling titles – awarded the car the Golden Steering Wheel.
Expert drivers and celebrities on the Bild panel included former rally and race ace Walter Rohrl, and ex-F1 driver Hans-Joachim Stuck.
The Ibiza triumphed in the small car class after being judged best in dynamics, design comfort and handling.
The Seat’s low CO2 emissions and outstanding value for money also caught the judges’ eyes.
Only a few days before, the elegant Ibiza five-door had been named Compact Car of the Year by the Dutch automobile club ANWB.
Top competitors that Seat defeated to scoop the award included the new Ford Fiesta, Mazda 2 and Alfa Romeo MiTo.
Seat UK head of marketing, Steve Robertson, commenting on the awards, said: "Seat’s push for quality and value, our famous reputation for high levels of standard equipment and our determination to make the Ibiza the most engaging, enjoyable drive in its class clearly make the Ibiza a winner."
Written by Roxy Moran
The new Seat Ibiza SC has made its big screen debut in an irreverent cinema ad.
The advertisement, which is set in the desert, features a host of Seat’s top racing drivers pushing, shoving and sprinting in an effort to pick up the car keys to the three-door supermini.
As an impossibly deep American voice intones the message "there can be only one driver" a mysterious woman drives off in the car, leaving the race aces face down in the desert sand.
As a parting shot the lady gives a cheeky hand signal once popularised by the controversial show jumper Harvey Smith (and not to be found in the Highway Code) as she drives off.
The lady who owns the digit giving the gesture is in fact Seat Leon Supercopa star Christina Surer – a 34-year-old Swiss racer.
The advert, which unsurprisingly has been given a 15 certificate, will be shown before films such as Tropic Thunder and Righteous Kill.
If you can’t afford the price of a cinema ticket to see the ad you will be glad to learn that it has been posted on YouTube.
Written by James Christie
Seat will be taking the wraps off the Ibiza Cupra at the Paris Motor Show in October.
The car draws its inspiration from the Sport Coupe (SC) three-door body shape, and features a bespoke look.
There is a new front bumper and air intakes surrounding the grille, not forgetting eye-catching 17-inch alloy wheels and a rear diffuser incorporating a centrally-placed trapezoid exhaust pipe.
Cupra sports seats and track-inspired aluminium pedals will also be present and correct on the Paris model, courtesy of Luc Donckerwolke, Seat’s highly-acclaimed design director, whose curriculum vitae includes the Lamborghini Gallardo and Murcielago.
Prices for the new Ibiza Cupra and Ibiza Ecomotive will be announced closer to their UK debuts towards the summer of 2009.
Those who buy any of the current Ibiza Ecomotive models can take advantage of the car’s current road tax exemption and 74.mpg fuel economy.
The Spanish company is keen to emphasise its environmental credentials and is confident that the Ecomotive will fare well in an increasingly competitive market.
Newly-released data shows that Seat’s new Ibiza 5dr will retain at least 43 per cent of its original purchase price after three years and 36,000 miles – good news for used Seat dealers.
Statisticians at CAP New Monitor came up with the independently-assessed figures which will put the car among the very best-performing super-minis as far as used values are concerned.
CAP New Monitor expects key competitors such as the Renault Clio to retain just 32 per cent (1.2 Expression) of its original value after three years while the Peugeot 207 should hang on to 35 per cent (1.6 Sport) and 37 per cent (1.4 S).
Martin Ward, manufacturer relations manager at CAP Motor Research, thinks he knows why the car will have such enduring value.
He said: "The new Ibiza has much-improved quality over the outgoing car, and much of the interior is as good as some more premium brands.
"This quality will certainly stand the test of time, and will make the Ibiza a very desirable used car for many years."
Seat has launched its latest Ibiza SportCoupe in the UK this week, unveiling its latest model at the British International Motor Show.
The manufacturer chose to unveil the new model at the UK’s prestigious show, just after launching the Seat Ibiza’s five-door version across Britain’s forecourts.
Presenting the SportCoupe to the world, the company said that the car has been designed to "mix fun and functionality with a head-turning shape".
The model is 17mm lower than its 5-door counterpart and features "cutting edge" seven-speed DSG double clutch gearbox technology, the company said.
The Ibiza 5-door, meanwhile, has "value and quality, as well as style" at the heart of its design, with a 292 litre boot and an adjustable steering wheel.
Also on show this week at the ExCeL centre was the Seat Leon, as well as British Touring Car Championship drivers Jason Plato and Darren Turner.
Seat has launched the new Ibiza models, on a longer and wider chassis, so that the the five-door superminis boast a boot with a 292 litre capacity when the rear seats are in place.
Initially the launch will include three petrol engines – a 1.2 litre three cylinder 70 PS; a 1.4 litre 85 PS four cylinder; or a 1.6 litre four cylinder 102 PS. Diesel engines will follow, with saloon and estate variants too.
Emissions fall comfortably below 160 g/km of CO2.
All of the cars will include new head and thorax-focused front and side airbags, availability of ESP and TCS, as well as front fog lights with side illumination, and a USB connectivity within the vehicles to ensure that most audio devices can be played.
Seat’s Bocanegra concept car, currently on display in Geneva, gives a foretaste of the next Ibiza.
It was inspired by a 1970s two-door coupe that earned the same nickname because of its prominent black grille and bumper.
The Bocanegra, which is Spanish for black mouth, has its distinctive front as well as being described as multi-faceted or diamond-like, having less concave and convex lines.
Luc Donckerwolke, Seat’s design director, explains: "I respect the criticism of the Leon, Altea, Toledo design and I will address that. I want less shades of grey and more black and white.
"My job now is to project Seat’s future, but to do that I need to see how we got here."
Seat has plans to double its output to more than 800,000 cars a year by 2018, expanding the model range and the availability to different countries.
Seat will show off its most economical car producing the lowest emissions when it unveils the Ibiza Ecomotive at the Frankfurt International Motor Show this week.
The company has described the vehicle as both mean and green as it has a sporty style and will be among the lowest-polluting cars in Britain when it goes on sale in 2008.
Emitting 99 g of CO2 per km, the car will avoid London’s congestion charge as it fits into band A – exempt.
"To put the Ibiza Ecomotive’s 74.3 mpg economy figure into perspective, it would allow a tour from Calais to St Tropez (approximately 735 miles) on just one modestly-sized 45-litre tank of diesel," the company commented.
Seat is a Spanish company currently owned by Volkswagen – Europe’s largest car maker.
The Ibiza and Leon models are among Seat’s most famous lines.
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