The New Seat Ibiza Wins The Golden Steering Wheel Prize In Germany

MARTORELL – November 6, 2008: SEAT has won the ‘Golden Steering Wheel’ with the new Ibiza in the small car category. At a ceremony which took place today in Berlin, the Spanish brand’s new vehicle was awarded one of Germany’s most prestigious distinctions. The Ibiza was judged overall winner by a panel made up of technicians and drivers, as well as several staff members and the readership of the “Bild am Sonntag” magazine.

During the award ceremony, SEAT S.A. Vice president for Research and Development Frank Bekemeier announced that “The ‘Golden Steering Wheel’ awarded to the Ibiza is a great honour for the whole team that has developed this car and brought it to the market, and on behalf of the SEAT team I would like to express our thanks to the jury and the thousands of “Bild am Sonntag” readers who took part in the voting. For SEAT, the new Ibiza, a dynamic vehicle where quality prevails, no doubt signals a turning point, since we have set new standards for the SEAT brand.”

This is the second time that SEAT has received this significant distinction after the Arosa was awarded the ‘Golden Steering Wheel’ in 1997. SEAT Deutschland GmbH Manager Rolf Dielenschneider declared that “This prize holds a special value since the Ibiza won over several fierce rivals. Besides, the ‘Golden Steering Wheel’ is a strong selling point to convince first-time buyers.”

A total of nine vehicles were chosen within the small car category, of which five made it to the grand finale thanks to the votes received from the “Bild am Sonntag” readership. During the test-driving, the drivers confirmed engine performance and their road skills, while celebrity drivers evaluated the cars’ design, comfort and handling. Finally, the panel’s technical staff was in charge of evaluating the cars’ safety aspects, reduced emissions levels and cost-effectiveness. The intense testing took place on the Balocco (Italy) test track last October.

The panel included, among others, Walter Röhrl, Jutta Kleinschmidt, Klaus Ludwig, Hans Joachim Stuck, Frank Elstner, Kai Pflaume, Nazan Eches and “Auto-Bild” magazine chief editor Bernd Wieland.