Remember SEAT? Ibiza and Arona facelifts to thaw frozen brand
Cupra sales will overtake SEAT’s for the first time this year. But visual and technical SEAT upgrades are are on the way
SEAT is coming out of suspended animation with facelifts for the Arona small SUV and Ibiza hatchback in autumn 2025. They will be the first major SEAT investments since – this is not a mistake – the Arona and Ibiza were facelifted in 2021.
Volkswagen Group’s original Spanish brand has effectively been mothballed with new product cash funnelled to its more premium start-up sibling, Cupra. Since the Formentor became the first standalone Cupra model in 2020, its ranks have been swelled by the electric Born hatch and Tavascan SUV, and the hybrid Terramar.
And the Raval, a small electric hatchback with 222bhp, sports suspension and agile steering, will further boost the Cupra portfolio in 2026.
Things are going to change, however. SEAT/Cupra interim CEO Markus Haupt told Auto Express during an exclusive meeting at the IAA Munich Motor Show: “With SEAT, we will present the new Ibiza and Arona in October this year. [The facelifts will be] visual, it’s technical, new colours – we need to refresh everything to keep the cars attractive.”
And will they get electrified drivetrains? “We are looking at different topics, we need to keep our models up to date,” Haupt hinted. Volkswagen Group has two suitable ‘eTSI’ 48-volt mild hybrids, which boost efficiency and power on the 1.0-litre three-cylinder and 1.5-litre four-pot petrols.
SEAT did reveal an Arona and an Ibiza with sporty and fresh-looking bodykits and new grilles in March 2024, but the cars mysteriously disappeared before production and company officials exhibit collective amnesia when asked. These designs will probably form the basis for the autumn upgrades.
The current SEAT Arona starts from just over £20,000 but the Auto Express Buy A Car service has discounts of over £6,000 on new models to order. The Ibiza is in a similar position with a starting price just over the £20,000 mark but dealers offering over £6,000 off in some cases, taking the price below £15,000.
The rise of Cupra
2025 will be a seminal year for the evolving company, with Cupra set to outsell SEAT for the first time. In Europe over the first seven months of the year, Cupra registered 177,241 cars to SEAT’s 132,209. How does this make the acting CEO, whose first job was at SEAT more than 20 years ago, feel?
“It’s a conscious decision,” he explained. “When we decided to go with Cupra as a second brand, it’s because we were convinced that we needed a brand that’s more profitable than SEAT. So we are investing.”
It’s a business decision that’s paid off handsomely. In 2024, the company boasted a record €633-million in profits on a ground-breaking €14.5-billion turnover. And Cupra, which launched as a standalone brand seven years ago, will sell its millionth car in 2025.
The decision to launch Cupra, made under then-CEO Luca de Meo who went on to run Renault Group, was a smart move. Cupra’s youthful positioning and edgy designs featuring matte paint and copper accents could command higher prices, enabling the Barcelona business to offset the higher cost of electric powertrains.
Persevering with petrol
Ironically the slower-than-expected take-up of electric cars in Europe has given the Ibiza and Arona a new lease of life. And it’s the same at Skoda: the Fabia hatch and Kamiq SUV have been inked into the production plan to 2030. These babies will also receive upgrades this year, with VW Group able to spread the cost of these investments over multiple brands including SEAT and Skoda.
“We will also keep investing in SEAT, because the best set-up you can have is one that’s broad and flexible,” Haupt told us. “We need both brands to complement each other, [for] different customers with different prices. If Europe says in 2035, the combustion party is over… we will be compliant. But if the customer doesn't want it, it probably will not happen like that.”
“The natural future for SEAT when there is a ban is having an electric car. But with the EV cost structures and SEAT margins we have today, it would be possible but we would burn lots of money.”
Don’t hold your breath waiting for any updates to the Ateca compact SUV, which will be 10-years-old next year. “We have the Cupra Terramar that is complementary to the Ateca. And then we prioritise and say: ‘our small babies are now the ones that need an update’,” concludes the new boss.
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