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The Seat Ibiza SportCoupe, "Young Car of the Year"


PHOTO (select to view enlarged photo)


PHOTO (select to view enlarged photo)

MARTORELL, Spain – December 5, 2008: The SEAT Ibiza SportCoupé has been named “Young Car of the Year 2009” by the Spanish motoring magazine Car and Driver. This award confirms, once again, the popularity of SEAT’s new generation’s best-selling model among the public and professionals of the sector since its commercial launch last May.

Readers of Car and Driver magazine gave the most votes to the new Ibiza SportCoupé for its innovative design, distinct sporty temperament, complete equipment, cost effectiveness and reduced consumption figures. The new Ibiza was the clear winner over 11 rival cars including the Alfa Romeo Mito, Audi A3, BMW Serie 1 Coupé, Fiat Grande Punto, Ford Fiesta, Hyundai i30 and VW Scirocco.

With this year’s award, SEAT now has three “Young Car of the Year” distinctions after the Ibiza II won it in 1997 and the León in 2006. Besides, at the current Car and Driver awards event, the new SEAT Ibiza was also in the group of 12 cars vying for the “Car and Driver car 2009” distinction.

Award-winning model in Spain and Europe
Throughout the year, the new SEAT Ibiza has received several national ad international prizes as a result of the perfect balance between its captivating design, fiery sportiness and top-notch equipment.

The Ibiza was the recent recipient of the “Golden Steering Wheel” in Germany, and was proclaimed “Compact Car of the Year” in the Netherlands by the Dutch motoring club ANWB, while the ECOMOTIVE version of the new Ibiza took the “ECOBEST 2008” distinction for best ecological car of the year at the annual AUTOBEST awards ceremony.

The new SEAT Ibiza is currently available in two body styles – the five-door and the SportCoupé, with a total of three Diesel and three petrol engine possibilities, and features the seven-speed DSG gearbox for the first time in the segment with an extensive standard equipment list including ABS, ESP and TCS + EBA, driver and passenger airbag, head airbag, hill hold control and low tyre pressure warning.