Paris Motor Show 2008 – Seat Ibiza Cupra

The new Seat Ibiza Cupra could pose some serious competition to the Vauxhall Corsa VXR and Renault Clio 197 as the most hardcore supermini hot hatch of them all.

This is thanks to a supercharged and turbocharged 1.4-litre engine which gives the Seat Ibiza Cupra 178bhp – 9bhp less than the 140mph Vauxhall.

View our Seat Ibiza Cupra slide show

And as Seat is part of the Volkswagen Group, the Ibiza Cupra gets to use technology from a motoring empire that includes Bentley, Audi and Lamborghini.

As a result the Ibiza Cupra is fitted with a seven-speed semi-automatic gearbox – something first showcased on the 253mph Bugatti Veyron.

It’s a three-door only model using the same design as the SportCoupe but with a set of five-spoke 17-inch alloys and centrally-placed exhaust tailpipe.

Thanks to its new front bumper, and air intakes, the Cupra is a really aggressive-looking junior hot hatch and it’s likely to give its rivals something to think about.

This makes us particularly excited about the Ibiza-based Bocanegra hot hatch which was unveiled as a concept at the Geneva show but will hit production at a later date.

It wasn’t just tyre-smoking performance on show at the Seat stand.

The Spanish car makers were also showing off its new Ecomotive model which will be available as both a SportCoupe and five-door model.

View our Seat Ibiza Ecomotive slide show

It offers the same green credentials as its predecessor meaning tax-exempt carbon emissions of 98g/km and an average of 74.3mpg.