Opinion. Even if SEAT eventually disappears, the popular Ibiza will survive under the CUPRA brand.

The Spanish automotive industry has been shaken in recent days by a news story that has caused huge media uproar: according to an internal report from Volkswagen Group published by German press, the company is considering discontinuing the SEAT brand starting in 2029. In response, the company issued a statement last Friday outlining its near-term future.

Of the two brands owned by SEAT S.A., only CUPRA currently has a secure future. This young Barcelona-based brand has quickly managed to make a name for itself in the industry, even surpassing its parent company not only in profitability but also in sales figures. According to the press release, the future of SEAT as a brand is still under consideration.

This means that while the manufacturer SEAT S.A. will continue to operate under the CUPRA brand, it is unclear whether SEAT will proceed independently. “We are committed to creating the conditions for SEAT S.A. and CUPRA to continue growing and contributing to the success of the Group. At the same time, we must remain flexible and adapt our brand and product strategies to regulations, market conditions, and what our customers demand,” said Oliver Blume, CEO of the Volkswagen Group.

CUPRA sells more expensive and profitable cars, which, combined with its commercial success, explains why they have decided to heavily invest in it. The future of SEAT will depend on European regulations, the cost of electrification, and customer demand, though it is acknowledged that the “analysis for continuing to invest in the SEAT brand” is “becoming increasingly complex.”

Will the CUPRA Raval be replaced in a few years by an electric CUPRA Ibiza?

If SEAT’s disappearance is confirmed, it would truly be a rebranding rather than a complete closure. In fact, everything suggests that at least one model originally launched under the SEAT logo will survive this transition: the León, whose fourth generation is sold under both brands.

Wayne Griffiths, former CEO of SEAT S.A., confirmed to us at the time the existence of a project to develop an electric CUPRA León. This means that the fifth generation of this compact car will replace both the current León and its zero-emission counterpart, the Born. After nearly three decades of commercial success, the León name still enjoys great popularity, so keeping it as CUPRA makes perfect sense.

But what will happen to SEAT’s other major surviving icon, the Ibiza? If the brand is ultimately discontinued, it wouldn’t be surprising if this hatchback follows in its older sibling’s footsteps and moves to CUPRA. Sven Schuwirth, the company’s executive vice president for sales and marketing, insisted last year that the Ibiza name will definitely be retained.

Although he did not explicitly refer to a hypothetical move of the SEAT model to CUPRA, his words become more interesting in light of recent reports. "As a name, it will remain independent of the technology, whether it’s combustion, hybrid, or fully electric. I can’t give an exact answer right now. Ibiza—we’ll definitely keep that name; it’s a real asset. If you say ‘I drive an Ibiza,’ you don’t mean SEAT Ibiza; it’s a bit like Golf."

Today, the electric equivalent of the SEAT Ibiza is the CUPRA Raval. Therefore, just as the CUPRA Born is likely to be replaced by an electric CUPRA León, there are strong chances the same will happen to the smallest model in the range, which was introduced in 1984 and remains one of the best-selling cars in our country even after more than forty years. The name Ibiza is an institution in its own right, regardless of the brand under which it is sold.

The fact is that SEAT S.A. considered launching a CUPRA variant of the current fifth-generation Ibiza as early as 2018; in fact, the prototype is still kept at SEAT Históricos’ Nave A122. Additionally, it should not be forgotten that the Ibiza was the first SEAT model to use the CUPRA name (an acronym for Cup Racing) around 1996. This designation was created to identify the sportiest version of this best-selling Spanish car.