TWO hot hatches from Volkswagen's most style-conscious car company. Seat has been the leader in the style stakes for the German carmaker for some years now and the Spanish designers have not disappointed with their stunning new models.

Based on the Ibiza, itself a good-looking hatchback, the Cupra and Ibiza FR were fittingly launched on Spanish motorways which allowed drivers to put the cars through their paces. The FR gets an engine output of 150bhp and the Cupra gets an additional 30bhp to produce a sizzling drive. The two-door Cupra is the more dramatic looking of the pair. Both models get sports performance kits inside and out and the fans will love them. The FR comes with automatic transmission as an option. First indications are the models will be priced in the mid-20s euro bracket.

Seat also took the opportunity to announce the arrival of a special limited edition of the Ibiza to commemorate a 1200cc model of the 1970s which famously had an all-black front and grille and became known as the Bocenegra (Blackface). The Bocenegra will be available from 2010. Also on the way is a new 1.6-litre 90bhp common-rail diesel engine which is more powerful and economical than the 1.9-litre engine it replaces. It is expected to become the most popular engine in the Ibiza line-up here.

The new models will arrive as a change of distributor for Seat has been announced. Hispano Cars, part of the OHM group on the Naas Road has been distributor for the Seat range of models for a number of years but now the new Volkswagen Group Ireland company will take over Seat affairs here.

Hispano Cars said that agreement has been reached with VW about the new arrangement which comes into force on 1 November.