SEAT’s IBX crossover has X factor

SEAT is plotting an entry into the booming crossover market. The IBX concept it’s showing at Geneva points the way to a showroom model.

This isn’t the Spanish firm’s first SUV concept, with the 2007 Tribu demonstrating its desire to head off-road. But while a number of features on the IBX aren’t likely to make production – such as the slim, door-mounted mirrors and huge alloys – it doesn’t take much to imagine the car on the road. 

That’s a view shared by SEAT boss James Muir, who said: “A decision has yet to be taken, but we could certainly envisage the IBX in our portfolio in future.”

At 4.26 metres long, 1.8 metres wide and 1.62 metres tall, the IBX is almost exactly the same size as Nissan’s Qashqai. 

It would be built on the same production line as the imminent Audi Q3. The German company has invested 300 million Euros (£253million) in SEAT’s Martorell factory near Barcelona, and plans to build 80,000 cars annually – likely to be a mix of Q3s and the SEAT newcomer. 

The IBX features a plug-in hybrid powertrain that’s capable of providing up to 28 miles of zero-emissions, electric-only progress, and delivering CO2 emissions of less than 70g/km. A hybrid option is likely to make dealers, alongside the usual line-up of TSI petrol and TDI diesel units found across the VW Group. An eco-friendly Ecomotive model would be added to the range later.

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