Once a superstar in the supermini class, can the elderly Ibiza find a new lease of life?
It wasn’t so long ago that the Cupra brand was introduced and we weren’t sure what to make of it. It grew out of Seat’s performance division, launching with fast versions of Seats, but then started offering cars with simple 1.5-litre engines as well. It seemed a bit directionless.Actually, it was a masterstroke, because Cupra managed what Seat never could: become the slightly hipper, sporty, semi-premium brand of the Volkswagen Group with the margins to wash its own face. It exemplifies the art of the rebrand.So where does that leave Seat? Previously announced plans to turn it into an e-mobility brand are on ice, and instead Seat will for the foreseeable future continue as the group’s provider of affordable, largely combustion-powered cars, since that role has been vacated by the upwardly mobile Skoda. And in that vein, enter the facelifted Seat Ibiza.The Ibiza supermini plays an important part in this plan, because while superminis are no longer in the limelight like they were 20 years ago, they still provide a very appealing balance of affordability and practicality, and as a result sales remain healthy. The segment doesn’t fit the sporty, premium Cupra brand as well, so the Ibiza carries on as a pure Seat.After being somewhat neglected recently, the Seat range is finally getting some love. While there are reportedly no plans for an all-new generation of the Ibiza, Seat is planning some targeted upgrades, with plans for more efficient engines next year. For now, though, all it’s getting is a light-touch facelift. Considering this is fundamentally a car that came out in 2017, can the Ibiza still cut it?
