Seat Previews Next Year's Ibiza Sport Tourer with IBZ Concept

Sans the LED tail and head lamps, the sexy 19-inch alloys in low profile 235/35 tyres, the dramatic styling of the front and rear bumpers, the groovy exterior mirrors, the sporty interior with the high-quality materials, the flat-bottomed steering wheel, the futuristic instrument panel and well, whatever else makes this concept look cool (...), what you see here is very close to next year's production Ibiza station wagon or in Seat's nomenclature, the Sport Tourer.

The concept model, which goes by the name IBZ, also gets hidden rear door handles and a panoramic glass sunfroof while the front-end shows an evolution of Seat's latest design language with the bonnet now featuring a running edge - GM anyone?

Bypassing the conceptual styling traits of the interior, the IBZ comes with a more spacious boot that measures 410 litres and can be extended when the rear seats are folded down leaving a completely flat cargo space stretching right to the back of the front seats. The car also features a hidden area underneath the 'normal' boot.

Seat says that IBZ Concept has a total length of 4.22 meters and retains the same height and width as the basic hatch. Howver, the Spanish automaker claims that access to the back seats has been improved thanks to the broader rear doors.

The toned-down, production version of the IBZ Concept will join the three- and five-door hatchback versions of the Ibiza towards the middle of next year (2010).