The new three-door Seat Ibiza will be unveiled at the British Motor Show this July.Based on the popular Luc Donckerwolke-designed Bocanegra concept, the three-door hatch is officially known as the Ibiza sport-coupe and will go on sale in the UK before the end of the year. Seat has also officially confirmed that the sport-coupe will get hot FR and Cupra versions. There are no details on what engines will power them, but sources have indicated that both models will stick with high-powered, small-capacity motors.Naming the three-door Ibiza the ‘sport-coupe’ is just part of Seat’s strategy to market the car as a separate model to its five-door sibling, which had its first public outing at the Madrid show last week.The styling will also set the three-door apart from the bigger five-door Ibiza, because the sport-coupe will be virtually unchanged from the stand-out design of the Bocanegra. Even the striking black grille featured on the concept is likely to make it into production, though it is undecided whether it will appear on the entire sport-coupe range or just the range-topping models. No on-sale dates have been confirmed for the three-door, but sources say it will be in the showroom by the end of the year with the FR and Cupra models following in 2009.
Vicky Parrott
Read Steve Cropley's first drive of the new Seat Ibiza.
