BEIJING MOTOR SHOW: SEAT Ibiza CUPRA concept
The fastest baby SEAT has given a clear indication that there is plenty of life in the troubled Spanish brand yetThe Volkswagen Group’s Spanish offshoot wowed the Beijing Motor Show today with its all-new Ibiza Cupra Concept, complete with a high-horsepower turbo-charged four-cylinder engine and innovative interior design thinking.
With SEAT President James Muir insisting the Ibiza Cupra Concept was a “Sports car for every day, combining driving fun with a high degree of functionality,” it was hard to miss the comparisons with the VW Group’s other hatchback sports star, the VW Golf GTi.
The Ibiza Cupra Concept runs the 132kW version of the VW Group’s 1.4-litre, turbo-charged, direct-injection four-cylinder engine, complete with 250Nm of torque.
The light-weight concept channels this drive through a seven-speed double-clutch gearbox, through what it calls an XDS electronically controlled locking differential to bite the road through the typically oversized concept car wheels and tyres.
While officially a concept, Muir warned to expect a production version of the Cupra towards the end of the year. The Cupra versions have been the sporting flagship of the Ibiza models since the first generation Cupra in 1996.
Muir also insisted it would have “Comprehensive equipment featuring lots of innovative details,” the key feature of which is a portable system for the navigation and the entertainment features. These systems, all wired in to a five-inch screen atop the dash, can be taken out of the Ibiza Cupra for mobile use away from the car, for watching television shows, for example.
“With its new, powerfully accentuated design, its innovative technologies, upgraded interior and further improved quality, the new Ibiza CUPRA Concept clearly shows how our brand is continuing to develop,” says Muir. “Emotional design and refined dynamics guarantee driving fun on every single kilometre.
“We are presenting the Ibiza CUPRA Concept at the Beijing Motor Show because this compact athlete will be an important element in the development of our brand in this key market.”
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