| All-new model | SEAT Ibiza hatchback |

This is what happens when you let the ex-stylist from Lamborghini near your bread-winning supermini. The all-new SEAT Ibiza, revealed by the Spanish company today for the first time, draws heavily from Luc Donckerwolke's overtly sporting Bocanegra concept shown at the Geneva Show only last month.

The show car was one of the few genuine surprises in Switzerland, but the production version is just as surprising for its distinctive, sharp lines. Though doing without the concept's black nose (which gave the Bocanegra it its name), the new Ibiza retains the overall shape, albeit in a five-door format. The front-end is thankfully a departure from the Leon-Altea-Toledo look, though still characteristic of SEAT, as are the two creases down the side of the bodywork. The rear end is particularly attractive thanks to shapely lights integrated with the side creases.

SEAT's work on the interior is less radical, but the pictures show a neat, fuss-free design, quite different to the rest of the VW Group's. SEAT promises that the interior and boot space will be up there with the class leaders, thanks in part to an increase in the car's dimensions.

As yet, only three petrol engines are confirmed, ranging from the three-cylinder, 1.2-litre (69bhp) to a 101bhp 1.6-litre four-cylinder unit. However, the latest range of direct-injection TDI turbodiesel engines found elsewhere in the Group are likely to be utilised in the future, as is a high performance petrol offering.

Following the five-door Ibiza's launch in the UK later this year, it is thought that a three-door model will be revealed, along with the possibility of an open-topped version. That has as yet to be confirmed, but with SEAT's near-term product plans including a new Passat-sized saloon and estate, anything is possible.

We look forward to seeing what Mr Donckerwolke can do with a D-segment saloon...

Shane O' Donoghue - 2 Apr 2008