The Spanish car classic turns 40: Anniversary of Seat Ibiza

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Ibiza marked a new beginning for the Seat brand. Since the company was founded in 1950 with the active assistance of the Italian Fiat Group, the Spaniards produced only licensed Fiat products until the 1980s. However, the relationship had cooled significantly over the past 30 years; Fiat ran into financial difficulties and fell out with the Spanish. The divorce process was ongoing, and in 1981 the Italians sold their shares in Seat.

Many gynecologists

It was due to their ability to cooperate that Seat not only survived these turbulences, but also mastered them quite well without attractive models. There was also surprising support from various well-known car manufacturers and various big names in the automotive world. For example, Italian star designer Giorgio Giugiaro (85) and his company Italdesign designed the Ibiza, Seat’s first independent small car, more than 40 years ago. He did this after developing the rival Uno for Fiat. German supplier Karmann in Osnabrück actively helped develop the passenger cell and production vehicles, and Porsche contributed engine technology for a licensing fee of just seven marks per engine. Rumor has it that at car shows, there was always an Ibiza with the hood open in the Seat stand, so everyone could read the “System Porsche” logo on the valve cover.

Premiere in Paris in 1984

The Seat Ibiza premiered at the Paris Motor Show in 1984, after just three years of development. And it was successful: Shortly afterwards, the Volkswagen Group took over 51 percent of the Spanish manufacturer, then 75 percent. And so it continued until the Wolfsburg company took over the business completely in 1986. In 1988, Seat was in black, not least thanks to its popular Ibiza small car. Reason enough to invest in new production facilities at the Martorell factory near Barcelona. Other models of the VW Group are now also produced here.

The successful career of the lively little car on the Iberian Peninsula could no longer be stopped. This was not a bargain: at the time, the Ibiza was more expensive than similar models such as the Fiat Uno or Peugeot 205. But the Spanish small car’s engine and driving performance were more impressive. In addition, there was low fuel consumption, good equipment and handling, as well as a sufficient loading space. Even in China, the first Ibiza model was on the market under the name Nanjing Yuejin Soyat until 2008. The second generation Ibiza, launched in 1993, became Spain’s best-selling car. Like VW’s Polo, it was developed on the A03 platform within the VW Group. Like the previous model, versions of Ibiza 2 weighing only 1010 kilograms were produced with a diesel engine. A number of facelift and particularly sporty Cupra versions followed, such as the 1999 Ibiza Cupra R with 180 hp (132 kW).

The fifth generation of the Ibiza has been on the market since 2017. It is based on the VW Group’s MQB-A0 platform, as are sister models Skoda Fabia 4 and VW Polo 6. In total, more than six million Seat Ibizas have been sold in 40 years. The little Spaniard thus became the mainstay of the company. Reason enough to launch a special model for the big birthday: Seat Ibiza FR Anniversary Edition.

Source: Blick