SEAT to launch new generation Ibiza at the Barcelona Motor Show, it's home Auto Show.

• New efficient engines with three or four cylinders
• SEAT Easy Connect with Full Link (MirrorLink, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay) for seamless smartphone integration
• Agile driving with significantly improved comfort
• New Colour Packs with bold colours for greater personalisation
• Range of new equipment and options including DAB, SEAT Sound and SEAT Drive Profile, Tiredness Recognition System and Multi-Collision Brake
• In UK showrooms from Autumn 2015 

SEAT has chosen the Barcelona Motor Show to take the covers off of its New Ibiza.  Making it one of the best and most multi-faceted offerings in its class, the latest version of the Spanish brand’s iconic model comes with a raft of innovative technologies, new engines and equipment options, plus additional safety systems and, above all, a completely new  connectivity and infotainment line-up.

The Ibiza’s emotional and dynamic design continues to be well received by customers and is a central purchasing reason, so the team have focused their attention on new running gear which takes comfort to a whole new level, as well as upgrading the design and quality of the interior.

“The New Ibiza will further expand SEAT’s current success. It is the first example of how we ‘Leonize our Portfolio’, applying the successful formula of Leon into all our model range. Alongside efficiency, quality and safety, we have placed particular emphasis on the issue of connectivity. 

The new Ibiza is now part of the connected  world,” says Jürgen Stackmann, President and CEO of SEAT S.A. “The Ibiza is SEAT’s most successful model, with more than five million sold globally over the last 30 years. With an average age of 43, the Ibiza has an exceptionally young customer base, with its share of young female buyers well above average.”

Connectivity is a central factor in today’s world – and a focal point when it comes to developing SEAT models. In the new Ibiza, the Spanish brand is using the second generation of its Easy Connect infotainment systems. 

The new MediaSystem plus and  satellite navigation system can be enhanced with the MirrorLink function, which provides seamless smartphone integration into the car infotainment system. Thanks to MirrorLink, mobile phone functions and a wide range of apps can be used safely inside the car, while  SEAT has also taken the opportunity to develop its own app for MirrorLink, called SEAT DriveApp. SEAT can connect the most frequently smartphone systems. 

The Full Link (comprising MirrorLink, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay)  connection between Easy Connect means that New Ibiza drivers are always connected, whatever smartphone they use and able to retain their full concentration on the road. In line with this connectivity, SEAT has announced a partnership agreement with SAMSUNG to develop technological solutions to provide total connectivity across its model range.

“With the New Ibiza, we are opening up a new chapter of connectivity. Our customers can continue their digital lifestyle, even when on the road. However, the key issue for us is always the safest and most intuitive operation of the functions,” says Dr. Matthias Rabe, SEAT Vice President for Research and Development. “With its new engines, it’s considerably more comfortable. Thanks to its dynamic and agile suspension and new assistance systems, the Ibiza is one of the most modern and attractive offerings on the market.”

The exterior design of the Ibiza five-door, three-door SC (Sport Coupé) and the ST (Sport Tourer) are still absolutely up-to-the-minute and extremely well received by customers, so changes for the new model take in new headlights with LED daytime running lights, new 16- and 17-inch alloy wheel designs and two new paint colours, Moonstone Silver and Chilli Red.

Significantly upgraded interior

The concept behind the broad design appeal of the new interior is that it features fully customisable elements that resonate with everyone by striking a harmonious balance between expressivity, functionality and precision on each of the contours and surfaces that define the interior. Its horizontal proportions and the driver-oriented instrument panel provide enhanced driving pleasure, thanks to the arrangement of all the elements and its soft-touch finish.

Attention to detail is displayed in every feature – on the steering wheel, the air vents, instrument cluster and radio. 

The new interface has been designed to highlight the relationship between the driver and technology by creating character lines that add functionality, while the screen design provides the driver with a physical reference.

The resulting interior design is a reflection of a product that has been inspired by and conceived in the surroundings of the beautiful city of Barcelona.

New level of individualisation

The New Ibiza is as diverse and colourful as life itself, with new Colour Packs offering a whole new level of individualisation, which can be adapted to suit any personal style perfectly. The Colour Packs make a bold statement. Bismuth, an elegant shade of brown, is among them, as is Velvet, a rich purple. There is also a powerful red on offer, cool grey, as well as white, black and blue – the right Colour Pack for every personal preference.

Each Colour Pack comes with a wide range of trim elements in the respective colour. On the outside, the rim of the radiator grille and the door mirror housings gleam in Velvet, Atom Grey or one of the other colours. Inside, the air vent bezels and the detailing on the steering wheel and gear lever are part of the colour package, as are the coloured stripes set into the seat backrests. One characteristic element is the two-colour 16- or 17 inch alloy wheels. There are a large number of possible combinations between the Ibiza’s paint colour and the Colour Pack.

And with three bodystyles, several trim levels and a wide range of engines and equipment options, there is the perfect Ibiza to suit every need.

New safety systems

Drowsiness at the wheel is still the cause of many and severe accidents. The new Tiredness Recognition System in the SEAT Ibiza recognises diminishing driver concentration on the basis of steering characteristics, and provides a timely warning. Another new safety system is Multi-Collision Brake. Following a serious impact, it automatically slows down the vehicle to dissipate the remaining kinetic energy. If the airbag is activated by the initial collision, the electronic stability programme applies the brakes and switches on the hazard lights.

Complete new engine generation

The SEAT Ibiza is driven by a completely new generation of petrol and TDI engines. The entry-level petrol engine is a three-cylinder with 1.0-litre displacement, which produces 75 PS in naturally aspirated format and 95 PS or 110 PS as Eco TSI turbocharged engines. With maximum torque of 160 or even 200 Nm, the 1.0 Eco TSI has impressive pulling power. A further highlight is the four cylinder 1.4 Eco TSI with active cylinder management (ACT). Its improved output of 150 PS and torque of 250 Nm guarantee a high level of dynamic driving fun, while its cylinder deactivation under partial load leads to impressive combined fuel consumption of 58.9 mpg.

Maximum efficiency

The three and four-cylinder units, of course, fulfil all the latest EU6 emissions standards and boast excellent fuel consumption and emissions figures. One example is the 1.0 Eco TSI Ecomotive with 95 PS which offers combined fuel economy of 68.9 mpg, which equates to a CO₂ figure of 94 grams per kilometre. Among the new three-cylinder diesel engines, the 1.4 TDI with 75 PS achieves fuel consumption of 83.1 mpg, which equates to an emissions figure of just 88 grams per kilometre. Each of the other TDI powertrains, with 90 PS or 105 PS, achieve 74.3 mpg or more.

The TSI with 110 PS and the TDI with 90 PS are both available with the slick-shifting dual-clutch gearbox (DSG). The start/stop system, which switches off the engine when the vehicle is at a standstill, is available across all new-generation SEAT Ibizas.

Driving fun with more comfort

The New Ibiza has always received top marks for being dynamic and fun to drive. In its new generation, the Ibiza has been further refined with a speed sensitive electric steering system. Benefitting even more, however, is the ride and handling, with springs, dampers and anti-roll bars being completely re-tuned. The optional SEAT Drive Profile offers adaptive damping with two modes – comfort- or sports-oriented. The Comfort/Sport selector switch also influences the feeling of the power steering.

Latest-generation infotainment

The latest-generation infotainment systems with touchscreen operation and integrated satellite navigation system can receive DAB digital radio and play music from an iPod or smartphone via a USB port or Bluetooth device. Voice control is integrated as part of the MediaSystem plus and for smartphone integration Mirror Link can also be selected for perfect connectivity on the move. For a really rich sound, there is the new SEAT Sound System. Six speakers, a ten-litre bass box in the boot, an additional amplifier and individual setting options in the sound menu will satisfy even the most discerning of ears.

Four optional ultrasound sensors front and rear provide proximity monitoring when parking, and deliver warnings both acoustically and via the display. A reversing camera is also available as an option, aiding parking through infotainment screen updates.

Perfect for an active lifestyle

The New Ibiza will be offered in three bodystyles, five-door, SC and ST. The latter offering a particularly high degree of versatility in such a compact package. Even with its sporty looks, the luggage space is very generous, with a volume of 430 up to a maximum of 1,164 litres. For those with an active lifestyle, there is even space for two bicycles, with their front wheels removed.

In the UK, the entry-level ‘S’ version is an enticing prospect, featuring all major items of comfort and safety equipment. Sitting just above it is SE, with air conditioning and colour touch screen as standard. The sporty Ibiza FR makes a particular statement with its accentuated design at the front and rear and unique alloy wheels. More than ever before, the new Ibiza can also be perfectly adapted to personal style and individual preferences, with an extensive array of colours, options and accessories.

Volkswagen at the Consumer Electronics Show in las Vegas 2015.

CES 2015 – Car and computer merge

Gesture control and networking for a new age of mobility

Golf R Touch: cockpit concept solves future challenges

Connected Golf: perfect compatibility with MirrorLink, Apple and Google

Intelligent Charge: e-Golf automatically docks above inductive charging plate

Trained Parking: future Park Assist drives into garage semi-automatically

Ten key facts about Volkswagen innovations at CES:

1. Golf R Touch offers intuitive operation of high-tech infotainment.
2. Gesture control of Golf R Touch revolutionizes user operation.
3. Volkswagen will introduce MirrorLink™, CarPlay (Apple) and Android Auto (Google) in the vehicle in 2015.
4. Media Control integrates tablets and smartwatches into the Volkswagen infotainment system.
5. Regular Routes is ideal for daily drives.
6. Inductive charging will be an important component of electric mobility.
7. Charge Check indicates the charge status by vehicle lights.
8. e-Station Guide shows the way to the perfect charging station.
9. Digital Key makes the smartphone a car key.
10. Trained Parking enables semi-automated parking.

• "The two inventions of the century, the car and the computer, are gradually converging. We need to design future mobility to be even more intelligent and networked." Prof. Dr. Martin Winterkorn, CEO of Volkswagen AG, points out that the automotive industry found itself in the midst of a historical turning point at the beginning of the 21st century. The car and the computer were merging. Volkswagen, Europe's most successful car brand, has been instrumental in driving this development. That is because the car – which operates intuitively, is networked systematically, reacts intelligently and offers significantly greater convenience – gives new innovative impetus to mobile life, making it more communicative, safer and fascinating. This is why Volkswagen is demonstrating – with an entire fleet of vehicles at the 2015 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas (CES; January 6 – 9) – just how much the car and computer are already becoming intertwined today and will continue to grow together in the future. The main focus here is on four aspects. First, computer-driven drive systems. Second, app and smartphone integration. Third, intuitive vehicle operation. Fourth, autonomous and semi-autonomous driving.

• First – computer-controlled drive systems. Electric mobility is coming into its own. Pure electric cars and plug-in hybrid vehicles are continually increasing their presence. The high production volume models have now arrived, and Volkswagen is setting the pace with best-sellers like the Golf. Driven exclusively by electric motors (as in the e-Golf), or by an alliance of a high-tech gasoline engine and electric motor (as in the Golf GTE plug-in hybrid). The e-Golf and Golf GTE are the protagonists of a new mobility. These cars would be inconceivable without on-board electronics with computers that control such functions as battery charging and, in the case of the hybrid models, switching between the different drive sources. At CES, Volkswagen is showing, among other things, how electric cars will be able to automatically dock to inductive charging stations and output signals that indicate the battery charge state using the vehicle's exterior lights. Everything computer-driven, of course.

• Second – app and smartphone integration. It has now been eight years, to the month, since Apple introduced its first generation iPhone in San Francisco. Competitors followed, and the rest is history. The fact is that smartphones have irreversibly changed the way we communicate and our everyday lives. It has long been normal practice to have phones automatically connected to a car's hands-free telephone system via Bluetooth and to have the smartphones stream their media libraries into car infotainment and sound systems. But now Volkswagen is taking a significant step forward. Last year, the second generation "modular infotainment platform" (MIB II) was introduced. Along with the new radio and radio-navigation systems, MirrorLink™ was also made available for the first time; it is used to integrate the apps and operating layout of numerous Android smartphones into cars (including Samsung, HTC, LG and Sony). Later this year, the MIB II will be making its debut in the USA. At the same time as MirrorLink™ is introduced, two other interfaces will also be launched under the App Connect label: CarPlay (Apple) and Auto Android (Google). This will result in app integration for the key operating systems. App Connect will significantly expand the range of today's Volkswagen online services. Just as it launches in the USA, CarPlay and Auto Android will also be launched by Volkswagen on the European market.

• Third – intuitive operation. In the future, the mobile computer, i.e. the car, will not only merge with the mobile world; it will also integrate people into its operating concept more ideally than ever. Here, Volkswagen is following a consistent strategy of implementing user operation by touchscreen. Today, and in the future, the car will be adapted more than ever to people by recognizing their movements – via control based on proximity sensors and gesture recognition. Today, the latest infotainment systems by Volkswagen can already detect the approach of a hand with proximity sensors. Thanks to proximity sensors, the display automatically switches over from a purely informative level to a more varied menu with optimally sized controls. In the next revolutionary step – which Volkswagen is presenting in the Golf R Touch concept vehicle at the 2015 CES – the infotainment unit will precisely detect hand gestures via camera and understand them. Gesture control will make it possible to control, in real space, displays and controls in virtual space without having to touch a touchscreen. This benefits convenience and safety, because it further reduces driver distractions while operating controls. At this point, it is clear that the car and computer can no longer be viewed as separate from one another. The car and computer are one.

• Fourth – autonomous and semi-autonomous driving. Clearly, cars of the future will need to be able to drive certain route segments autonomously if necessary. Either fully autonomously or semi-autonomously, and this will be introduced step by step. Even today, Park Assist by Volkswagen enables semi-automated parking and exiting from parking spaces. The car executes the entire steering process for the parking maneuver fully independently. At CES, Volkswagen is now presenting another evolutionary stage of Park Assist: Trained Parking. Here, the car scans a frequently driven path to a parking space via camera, and from that point on it executes the path semi-automatically by computer control. In another evolutionary stage, it will be possible to have the car parked without the driver even needing to be present in the vehicle. The driver would maintain control over the car via smartphone.

Volkswagen highlights at the 2015 CES:

Golf R Touch

• Volkswagen is equipping its show car in Las Vegas with the controls of tomorrow. The high-performance of its computers, the brilliance of today's displays and the recognition of precise human gestures are merging into a new interface generation here. In the Golf R Touch concept vehicle, Volkswagen is presenting, for the first time, an infotainment system that incorporates gesture control as a consistent next development step that is based on current thinking in the area of intuitive control. All it takes is a hand movement in the space in front of the infotainment display of the Golf to make human and machine interact as one. Volkswagen is thereby extending touchscreen operation into a third dimension.

• The development team for the Golf R Touch pursued the goal of developing an interior and infotainment concept that would fulfill seemingly contradictory requirements. Despite the continually growing complexity and numbers of functions, this concept was intended to reduce driver distractions while attaining a maximum of personalization and intuitive operation in the car. A vehicle was created in which nearly all controls are implemented via touchscreens and sensor switches. Therefore, the Golf R Touch is equipped with three displays: the 12.8-inch high-resolution touchscreen of the infotainment system, a Control Center (8.0-inch with touch feedback) arranged beneath it to control vehicle, climate control and media functions as well as an Active Info Display (digitalized instruments, 12.3-inch). The layouts of the central touch screen and the Active Info Display can be customized rapidly, just as on a smartphone or tablet home screen today. The same is true of the entire color staging in the interior.

Connected Golf

• At the 2015 CES in Las Vegas, Volkswagen is showing maximum networking of the car of today in the form of the Connected Golf. This e-Golf, which is equipped with the latest generation (MIB II) infotainment system, incorporates an enormous range of apps, smartphones and tablets via its progressive interface management system. The umbrella brand for all online-based functionality is Volkswagen Car-Net; its various features and applications are organized into several clusters. In the USA, for example, they are Travel Link, e-Remote, Safe & Secure and from now on App Connect. All of these clusters are implemented in the Connected Golf. A look at today's App Connect is particularly exciting. As noted above, Volkswagen is one of the first carmakers to integrate the vast majority of smartphone operating systems in models like the Golf based on App Connect. The three underlying software interfaces of App Connect are Mirror Link™, Android Auto (Google) and CarPlay (Apple). Via these interfaces, the driver and passengers in the car are able to use the many different apps of their smartphones over the infotainment system.

• Beyond the applications of Volkswagen Car-Net, the Connected Golf is equipped with many other innovations. For example, Media Control enables the integration of tablets and smartwatches into the infotainment system. Media Control uses a special app that creates a rear seat entertainment system of a new era. Regular Routes is the name of a function by which the navigation system automatically detects – i.e. without needing to be activated by the driver – traffic disturbances on the daily commute to work, for instance, and it autonomously suggests an available alternative route. Parking Guide is another ingenious navigation feature. It embodies a technology that finds parking sites that have a high probability of available parking spaces.

e-Golf Intelligent Charge

• This year, Volkswagen launched one of the world's first high production volume electric cars on the American market in the form of the e-Golf – a zero-emission vehicle with a range of up to 83 miles, optimal all-round characteristics and high-tech equipment. In Las Vegas, Volkswagen is now presenting Intelligent Charge in the e-Golf; it illustrates how electric cars will be used even more conveniently in the future. A key theme here: over the mid-term it will be possible to offer inductive charging as an alternative to cable-based charging. In this type of charging, the car is parked over a charging plate. In the future, it will be possible to see in just seconds whether the battery is still being charged, or whether it is already fully charged by looking at the vehicle's exterior lights. The e-Station Guide will not only assist the electric car drivers in finding a desired charging station. They will also be informed about their location and charging equipment as well as payment options. As an additional function, the Digital Key – an electronic vehicle key – is implemented in this Golf. This feature lets third parties use a smartphone or smartwatch to temporarily and safely gain access to the vehicle and to start or stop the engine.

e-Golf Perfect Parking

• Park Assist from Volkswagen automatically guides the car into parallel and perpendicular parking spaces (in reverse) and can also automatically exit parallel parking spaces. First Volkswagen models will also be able to automatically park into perpendicular parking spaces in a forward direction. When parking or exiting a parking space, the system assists the driver by autonomously making optimal movements of the steering wheel to stay on the ideal line. At CES, Volkswagen is now introducing an advanced evolutionary stage of Park Assist known as Trained Parking. Here the car (an e-Golf) uses a camera – mounted in the base of the rear-view mirror – to scan a frequently used path into a parking space, and from then on the parking process is executed semi-automatically and highly precisely by sensors and computer. In the future, it will of course also be possible to semi-automatically park above a station for inductive charging. In another evolutionary stage, plans call for the driver no longer needing to stay in the car during parking. The driver would just monitor the operation of parking or exiting a parking space with a smartphone as a "remote control" device.