Seat unveiled the fourth generation of the small size vehicle Ibiza at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show.
One year later, it added the sportiest version for that range, the Cupra.

After the hot-hatch car segment grew both in size and price, there was a gap to be filled, with sporty models and more affordable prices. The Ibiza Cupra was one of the versions that came to fill that gap, along with the Clio RS, Polo GTI, or Corsa OPC.

The top performer Cupra was visually enhanced on the exterior when compared with the rest of the Ibiza range. For the beginning, there were 17” light-alloy wheels fitted as standard and a special, dark design for the front mesh-grille. In the rear, the word Cupra stands on the liftgate in chromed letters.

Inside, there are sport-bucket seats for the front passengers with a special upholstery that combined man-made leather and fabric. In the rear, there was less room for adult passengers. Since the Cupra had a three-door configuration only, the access was more difficult. The trunk had enough room for daily purchases. The standard feature list was bigger than on the rest of the range, including a CD/MP3/Radio, automatic climate control, and paddle-shifters behind the flat-bottom steering wheel. The Cupra logo was mounted on the bottom of the steering wheel.

The Cupra came as standard with the 1.4-liter compressor-turbocharger engine that offered 180 hp mated to a standard 7-speed DSG (dual-clutch) automatic gearbox. The power went to the front wheel and an electronic system helped to reduce the wheelspin.