All-New SEAT Ibiza Receives Red Dot Award: Product Design 2017

April 3, 2017 by SEAT

Fifth-generation of Ibiza represents a significant step forward in SEAT's design evolution

◾The Red Dot Award is one of the most prestigious design awards in the world and especially values and seeks out quality and innovation

◾Perfect proportions combined with a distinct character and agile looks are the main identifying traits of the All-New SEAT Ibiza

◾Red Dot award is recognition that the latest SEAT Ibiza has managed to integrate a young and fresh look with a mature and balanced design

The All-New Ibiza certainly has the best design SEAT has ever produced in the supermini segment. The challenge of doing justice to more than three decades of history and its importance as the main pillar of the Spanish brand has been passed with flying colours. Because it doesn't just have all three of SEAT's characteristic brushstrokes, but also characteristics that take it to the next level, marking a huge step in the brand's expression of design. The undeniable proof of all of this is the Red Dot Award: Product Design 2017 which the fifth-generation SEAT Ibiza has just been awarded.

Since 1954, the Red Dot Award has been one of the world's most prestigious design competitions, giving international recognition to quality and innovation. On top of that, the Product Design category is the most important of all. The Red Dot Award: Product Design Jury is made up of 40 experts from all over the world, who are permitted to be part of any industrial manufacturing company, nor, can they participate in the vote for those products in which they may have been involved. This way, conflicts of interest are avoided and the highest design possible level of impartiality and neutrality are guaranteed.

The All-New SEAT Ibiza shines through a series of impressive traits. Firstly, its dynamic behaviour and driving quality, combined with impressive stability and reliability on the road. Such qualities are joined by a significant improvement in interior quality, safe and easy to use technology, plus, enhanced comfort. All of this stands out, even at a glance, through its exciting design.

'The Ibiza is the culmination and maturity of our new SEAT Design language. A new language that we started in 2012', said SEAT Design director Alejandro Mesonero-Romanos.

The All-New SEAT Ibiza is easily recognisable as a genuine SEAT design through its Full LED triangular headlights and its daylights' iconic look. The proud presence of the brand's logo on the grille is visually enhanced by two character lines on the bonnet and a small gap in the chrome frame. An x-shape design adds great dynamism and formidable visual stability.

The short overhangs, four wheels situated right in the four corners of the car, long wheelbase, graphics on the windows that not only bring out the car's sporty, stable and dynamic character, but, also emphasise the size and width of the car, the list goes on. 'We gave the most beautiful proportions and put our emphasis in volumes and surfaces to create a huge three dimensional effect in order to inspire the most critical and demanding eyes', added Alejandro Mesonero-Romanos. The body of the All-New SEAT Ibiza is on one hand an example of perfect proportions, strong character and agile looks; on the other, it brings a fresh and young image together with maturity and balance.

'The sculptural forms and characterful appearance can be appreciated in every detail of its exterior and interior design', explained Alejandro Mesonero-Romanos. The bodywork is beautifully sculpted thanks to the skilful combination of sharp lines and smooth surfaces. The double lateral blisters, a typical SEAT design, give the car an extra three-dimensional edge, while at the back, the rear lights wrap around the car, interacting with the rear blisters, demonstrating a unique design and giving great aerodynamic performance. The strong and clear lines of the boot and bumper increase the perceived width and create a wide, monolithic look with the rear reflectors bringing the car closer to the ground. The different trim levels come with different indicators; for example, the FR trim's character is emphasised by the simulated exhausts either side of the rear bumper, while the XCELLENCE's chrome details accentuate its sophistication and refinement.

The interior boasts perfect proportions and an improved sense of space and comfort. The painstaking selection of materials means more elegant and quality perception, while more tension can be found in the precise and technical lines that also add lightness, achieving a young and dynamic character. The horizontal proportions dominate the interior, and clever organisation of the different functional areas, elevating the console to improve ergonomics and safety. In fact, all the car's instruments and controls are situated around the driver in the highest position possible to allow the driver to keep their eyes on the road.

For example, the gearstick is placed in the highest position possible to make gear changing as easy and as smooth as possible. The quality of each detail has been taken care of to the extreme, designed to give the impression this is a model that is as close as can be to the next segment up. Numerous personalisation opportunities abound too, such as the possibility to choose interior LED ambient lighting and the most advanced technology available, with an eight-inch touchscreen and Full Link connectivity system. The cockpit is protected by an Air Care filter that isolates the occupants from all kinds of allergens, creating a completely contaminant-free space.

SEAT is the only company that designs, develops, manufactures and markets cars in Spain. A member of the Volkswagen Group, the multinational has its headquarters in Martorell (Barcelona), exporting 81% of its vehicles, and is present in over 80 countries through a network of 1,700 dealerships. In 2016, SEAT obtained an operating profit of 143 million euros, the highest in the history of the brand, and achieved worldwide sales of nearly 410,000 vehicles.

SEAT Group employs more than 14,500 professionals at its three production centres – Barcelona, El Prat de Llobregat and Martorell, where it manufactures the highly successful Ibiza and Leon. Additionally, the company produces the Ateca and the Toledo in the Czech Republic, the Alhambra in Portugal and the Mii in Slovakia.

The multinational has a Technical Centre, which operates as a knowledge hub that brings together 1,000 engineers who are focussed on developing innovation for Spain's largest industrial investor in R&D. SEAT already features the latest connectivity technology in its vehicle range and is currently engaged in the company's global digitalisation process to promote the mobility of the future.

Photo credit: SEAT
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