The SEAT Córdoba was the saloon, estate and coupé version of the SEAT Ibizasupermini car, built by the Spanish automaker SEAT. It was manufactured between 1993 and 2010, and was related with the second and third generations of the Ibiza.
The first generation Córdoba was presented at the 1993 Frankfurt Motor Show, and launched in the summer of the same year, penned by Italian designer Giorgetto Giugiaro and based on the chassis of the SEAT Ibiza Mk2 which would spawn the Volkswagen Polo Mk3 the following year. The first generation was officially unveiled in February 1993. Its 1.4, 1.6, 1.8 and 2.0 litre petrol engines were also found in the Volkswagen Polo and Ibiza, as was the 1.9 TDI. Though based on the Polo and Ibiza, its extended rear overhang meant its length was close to a Golf, but still smaller than the Jetta. It featured a boot space of which could be extended up to by folding rear seats.
Variants
In March 1996, the Córdoba range was extended with a coupé, and in August 1996, with an estate. The Córdoba SX was a two door coupé version of the Córdoba. It came with five engine variants: 1.6 litre, 1.9 litre turbodiesel, a 1.8 litre 16 valve, 2.0 litre 8 valve, which was also used in the Córdoba GTi, and a 2.0 litre 16 valve. The 2.0 litre engines was identical to the engines used in the third generation Golf GTi. The 2.0 litre 16 valve Córdoba SX also came with 16 inch multispoke alloys, front discs, ABS, traction control and air conditioning as standard. The model was slightly revised in 1996, with a new rear splitter which required the exhaust to be hidden, a revised front lower grill and splitter, and the leather interior which became standard. The Córdoba 16V was £1,000 more expensive at list and one second slower from 0 to 60 mph because of the added weight of the rear end.
Facelift
The Córdoba was facelifted in August 1999, with changes focusing on the bumpers, headlights, taillights and front grille, as well as in the interior, with new materials and upholstery. In the engine range, the 16 valve ABF engine was replaced with a 1.8 litre Turbo engine and joined the Cupra range. The SX was no longer available in the United Kingdom, and limited numbers are known to exist in the Republic of Ireland in RHD format. The estate variant "Córdoba Vario" dropped the "Cordóba" and now simply used the nameplate "Vario".
Motorsport
Rally
The Córdoba WRC was SEAT's official rally car in the World Rally Championship from to. It featured a 2.0 litre turbocharged engine and achieved a total of three podiums.
Rallycross
A Cordoba has also been used in the FIA World Rallycross Championship. Danish driver Dennis Rømer contested the 2014 World RX of Germany, finishing 40th out of 41 entrants in the heat stage. To date this is, and most likely will remain, the only time a Cordoba has been used in World Championship rallycross, however, the SEAT Ibiza has been used as a manufacturer entry.
Rebadged versions
The contemporary Volkswagen Polo Classic and Variant were rebadged versions of the SEAT Córdoba Mk1 and Córdoba Vario respectively, and were not based on the Volkswagen Polo hatchback. FAW-Volkswagen, Volkswagen's partner in China, manufactured the Córdoba Mk1 under the Volkswagen Citi Golf name between 1995 and 2001. The Citi Golf had the Córdoba rear and front design, which helped distinguish the Córdoba from the Polo Classic models. In Mexico it was rebadged as the Volkswagen Derby. In 1995, it was imported from Spain, but the model of 1996 was assembled in the Volkswagen de México assembly plant in Puebla, Mexico. In 1998, the Spanish made Polo Classic was introduced in Mexico as the new Volkswagen Derby.
Engines
Second generation (''Typ'' 6L; 2002–2008)
The second generation Córdoba was presented at the 2002 Paris Motor Show, as the four door saloon version of the SEAT Ibiza Mk3 hatchback, featuring a boot capacity of, which could be increased to by folding the rear seats. No estate or coupé versions of the second generation were developed. The Córdoba Mark II shares its chassis and engines with the Volkswagen Polo Mk4 and Škoda Fabia Mk1 and Mk2. In Mexico, Córdoba production continues in the Volkswagen de México Puebla assembly plant. It has the four cylinder 2.0 litre engine combined with a five speed manual or an optional six speed Tiptronic transmission. Saloons based on successful hatchbacks very rarely become a sales success in Europe after the turn of the 1990s, and the SEAT Córdoba had done little to change that. It is to SEAT what the Jetta and Vento were to Volkswagen, and what the Belmont was to Vauxhall. The Córdoba was officially withdrawn from sale in the United Kingdom in February 2006, and shortly was removed from SEAT UK's official website. In other European countries, sales ended in 2009. Production officially ended in November 2008.
Engines
Sales and production figures
The total production per year of SEAT Córdoba cars, manufactured in SEAT and other Volkswagen group's plants, is shown in the following table:
