Since Seat recently introduced its latest Seat Ibiza, many clamored to have the Cupra treatment to follow shortly after. Unfortunately, that was no longer the case according to recent reports. Flat out, there will be no new Seat Ibiza with Cupra treatment.
SEAT may have realized that the market for B-segment is becoming little by little unstable. This may well be the reason for putting a halt to the production of Ibiza Cupra. Fans and customers alike just have to be contented with the Ibiza FR as the more powerful option. The Ibiza FR is capable of producing 150-horsepower because of its 1.5-liter turbo engine.
There are also some significant cuts. It is not just the Cupra to get the boot. Recent reports also state that even its two/three-door SportCoupe version or a five-door wagon are to be gone. The brand is expected to focus on a CNG version, which is powered by natural compressed gas.
According to Head of Product Communications Antonio Valdivieso, they don't think there is no demand for niche sports models like the Ibiza Cupra. He continues to say that the trend is, however, going down. The company is expected to keep the Cupra treatment to higher-end models such as the Leon.
The tweet below expresses people's sadness over the loss of Cupra. It is in Spanish and translates to "Very sad: we will not see a new #Seat Ibiza #Cupra."
Muy triste: no veremos un nuevo #Seat Ibiza #Cupra https://t.co/4kBF4ZjT1K Vía @A_Motor pic.twitter.com/mbKCvP3rvN
— Central de Recambios (@centralrecambio) May 23, 2017
SEAT also recently announced that the new Seat Ibiza will receive Volkswagen's fully digital instrument cluster either this month (now that May has few more days left) or June (to be safe). This technology will be introduced first to Leon and Ateca crossover.
Well, everyone may have to really bid farewell to the Seat Ibiza Cupra for producing 188-horsepower. This has been made possible because of Volkswagen's turbocharged 1.8-liter TSI engine, which is mated to a standard six-speed manual gearbox. The Ibiza Cupra is (and soon, was) considered the greenest hatch in its class.
Well, SEAT may well have something else in store. The powerful new Seat Ibiza with Cupra treatment may have to take the backseat for now. After all, tough business decisions have to made to make any company profitable. Unfortunately, most of the time, that involves someone or something getting axed.
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