Seat, a Spanish automotive manufacturer within the Volkswagen Group, is preparing to bring its most popular model, the Ibiza, into the electric era. Despite the slowdown in the electric vehicle market, the company has made it clear that it will not deviate from its electrification goals.

The electric Seat Ibiza is coming soon

Sven Schuwirth, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Seat, stated that the Ibiza will remain one of the brand’s iconic models. The experienced executive emphasized that the fact that many drivers say “I drive an Ibiza” instead of “I drive a SEAT Ibiza” demonstrates the deep-rooted place the model has taken in people’s consciousness. Therefore, the company is not abandoning the name.

While other brands within the Volkswagen Group have at least one fully electric car in their product lines, SEAT does not yet have a fully electric model in its lineup. However, this is changing soon. According to the company’s strategy, the Seat Ibiza will be available with a mild hybrid engine option in 2027. This step is the first step towards fully electrifying the model.

The all-electric Ibiza is expected to be introduced after 2028. However, according to SEAT management, mass production of the model will not begin before 2029. The main reason for this is the high cost of electric vehicle technologies and the fact that consumers in this segment are not yet fully prepared to pay such high prices for such vehicles.

Schuwirth emphasized that the brand will consider economic realities in the electrification process. SEAT is focusing on hybrid technologies during this transition. Mild hybrid versions of the Ibiza and Arona models will be released in 2027, while a full hybrid version of the Leon will follow in 2028.

The all-electric Ibiza is expected to be built on the MEB Entry platform, developed by the Volkswagen Group for its compact electric models.