There will be no SEAT Ibiza Cupra for the time being; the FR version will be the most powerful

SEAT recently presented the update to one of its flagship models: the new 2017 Ibiza. The Spanish supermini has been open for orders for a few weeks, although the first units will arrive in June. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like the Ibiza will have a high-performance version (Cupra), as it did in the past.

During the global launch of the new Ibiza, which took place last week at the Automobile Barcelona show, Antonio Valdivieso, SEAT’s product communications director, announced that production of an Ibiza Cupra is not in the plans of the Spanish brand.

“We are not saying there is no demand among niche sporty models like the Ibiza Cupra, but the trend is declining,” Valdivieso told the media. “We are going to keep the Cupra version for high-end models, such as the León,” Valdivieso concluded.

As a result, the Ibiza FR with the turbocharged 1.4-litre engine producing 150 CV will be the most powerful version offered by the small hatchback. With the Ibiza Cupra and the Skoda Fabia RS off the table, the only option for a supermini from the VAG group will be the Volkswagen Polo GTI; the alternatives come from Ford (Fiesta ST) and Renault (Clio RS).

In any case, the Cupra badge will continue to be offered on other models from the brand: the SEAT Leon will keep its most radical version, while the Ateca Cupra is finishing its tuning at the Nürburgring circuit.

In addition, the Spanish manufacturer is also working on a CNG version running on compressed natural gas. Although we do not yet know which markets this variant will reach, Spain is one of the candidates, along with Italy, Germany or the Netherlands, countries where these versions are becoming increasingly popular.