SEAT receives a historic prize for the Ibiza in Madrid

The ceremony was attended by several national celebrities from the automotive sector, executive management of the prize givers and members of the specialised press. SEAT's representation was led by the brand's Communication Director, Isabel Videira, who was also in charge of receiving the award from La Vanguardia publisher Javier Godo, Count of Godo.

When accepting the award, Isabel Videira said "It's a great honour for me to accept this award for the SEAT Ibiza. This recognition is very special for us, as it has been given by all the readers of Prensa Iberica, La Vanguardia and Autofacil. This prize is also special since our most popular model is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, and because it is the first time the Ibiza has received a similar distinction. But the aspect for which the Ibiza has been recognised every year is the trust placed in it by its buyers, who have made it the best-selling car in its segment since 2001."

The Car of the Year voting took place from the beginning of November 2008 until 15 December through SMS messages, telephone calls and the www.mejorcoche.epi.es webpage. The SEAT Ibiza won after receiving 22.94% of the readers' votes, followed by the Citroen C5, with 21.61%, and the Opel Insignia, with 20,95%. The three models that completed the list of six finalists were the Lancia Delta (16.09% of the votes), Renault Mgane (11.97%) and the Ford Fiesta (6.44%).

Currently made up of two body styles - 5-door and SC, and a total of six engine choices - three Diesel and three petrol, the Ibiza range continues to grow. Besides the recent launch of the Ibiza SC Color Edition versions and the upcoming commercialisation of the new ECOMOTIVE version, the long-awaited FR and CUPRA versions will be coming out in the near future.

Credits: JRC