Does the Seat brand still have a future? Indeed yes, if CEO Wayne Griffiths has his way. At the annual press conference for 2023, he reflected back and at the same time gave a very concrete outlook on specific model revisions for the Ibiza and Arona. We have the first exclusive images, based on the video shown at the press conference.
The past year went really well for Seat. After the brand faced several challenges in recent years, including rising raw material costs, inflation and the effects of war, the stabilisation of the supply chain in 2023 led to an increase in production and deliveries.
Gallery: Seat Ibiza and Seat Arona restyling 2025, first images
The Seat Group as a whole delivered 519,176 vehicles (2022: 385,592), an increase of 35.3% compared to the previous year. Cupra once again broke records with 230,739 deliveries, 50.9% more than in 2022 (152,896). The Seat brand once again recorded double-digit growth with 288,437 deliveries (2022: 232,696; +24.0%).
Looking to the future, Seat is set to play a key role in this. The company will launch improved plug-in hybrid vehicles and fuel-efficient vehicles for the entire Seat brand by the end of the combustion era.
The Arona and Ibiza will receive a facelift in 2025, and in the coming months the brand will launch an updated and improved version of the Seat Leon, following in the footsteps of its tech brethren the VW Golf 8 and Audi A3. In addition, the Ateca will also be updated and its life cycle extended.
Gallery: 2024 Cupra Leon hatchback facelift spy photos
"We want to get the Seat brand back to where it belongs and continue last year's double-digit growth with new investments in the brand and its models. We are also looking at what we can offer in the world of electromobility under the Seat brand. When it comes to Seat, I promise you that the best is yet to come," said Wayne Griffiths.
Let's take a look at the images of the Ibiza and Arona facelift. The two small cars presented in 2017 remain visually true to each other. The most striking changes can be seen in the redesigned headlights, both in terms of the light clusters and the light signature. Finally, the radiator grille also changes. It remains hexagonal, but loses its chrome profile and becomes flatter.
Seat Ibiza und Seat Arona (2025)
Seat Ibiza 1.5 TSI FR (2024)
Seat Arona Xperience (2021)
It's the same story at the rear. Redesigned headlights with two overlapping triangles and new bumpers. The rest seems to be unchanged, and the dimensions are also likely to remain the same. The Ibiza is 4.06 metres long, the Arona 4.15 metres.
However, the video released during the conference did not show the interior of either car, but there are rumoured to be updated software and hardware infotainment and new materials.
For Cupra, 2024 marks the start of the brand's biggest product offensive to date. This year will see the launch of the Tavascan, the brand's second all-electric model, and the Terramar, based on the new Audi Q3. Cupra has also announced new and updated versions of its Leon and Formentor models, which will be unveiled in the coming weeks.
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Gallery: Seat Ibiza and Seat Arona restyling 2025, first images