SEAT Córdoba

First generation (Typ 6K; 1993–2002)

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.

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 455 litres (16.1 cu ft) which could be extended up to 762 litres (26.9 cu ft) by folding rear seats.

Variants

In 1996, the Córdoba range was extended with a coupé (Córdoba SX), and in 1998, with an estate (Córdoba Vario).

The Córdoba SX was a two-door coupé version of the Córdoba. It came with five engine variants: 1.6 litre 100 bhp (75 kW; 101 PS), 1.9 litre turbodiesel, a 1.8 litre 16 valve, 2.0 litre 8 valve (Cupra), 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, 280 mm (11.0 in) 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

In 1999, the Córdoba was facelifted 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 156 bhp (116 kW; 158 PS) 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".

Rally

The Córdoba WRC was SEAT's official rally car in the World Rally Championship from 1998 to 2000. It featured a 2.0 litre turbocharged engine. The Córdoba WRC competed in the top category of the championship, as SEAT had homologated a World Rally Car version of the Córdoba 16v for competition in the FIA World Rally Championship and other international rallies. 1994 World Drivers' Champion Didier Auriol, of France, and Toni Gardemeister and Harri Rovanpera, both of Finland, were among those to drive the factory cars.

It made its debut at the 1998 Rally Finland, with Harri Rovanperaas the main driver, and achieved podiums at the 1999 Rally New Zealand, driven by Toni Gardemeister, the 1999 Rally of Great Britain, driven by Rovanpera, as well as in the 2000 Safari Rally, driven by Didier Auriol. The works programme concluded at the end of the 2000 season with the third evolution of the rally car. However the Córdoba WRC continued to compete with successful results in national championships in different countries. In Spain, the Córdoba won the national title of all the rallies on gravel with Pedro Diego and Marc Blázquez, and wins in tarmac rallies with Salvador Cañellas Jr.

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 (saloon) and Variant (estate) 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 Chinese partner, manufactured the Córdoba Mk1 under the Volkswagen Citi-Golf name between 1997 and 2002. The Citi-Golf had the Córdoba rear and front design (not the European or South American versions), 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 1996 model 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.

Second generation (Typ 6L; 2002–2009)

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 485 litres (17.1 cu ft), which could be increased to 800 litres (28 cu ft) by folding the rear seats. No estate or coupé versions of the second generation were developed. The Córdoba Mk2 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 115 bhp (86 kW; 117 PS) engine combined with a 5-speed manual or an optional 6-speed Tiptronic transmission.

Saloons based on successful hatchbacks very rarely become a sales success in Europe, and the SEAT Córdoba has done little to change that. It is to SEAT what the Jetta and Vento were to Volkswagen, and what the Belmont was to Vauxhall.

In February 2006, the Córdoba was withdrawn from sale in the United Kingdom, and shortly was removed from SEAT UK's official website. In other European countries, sales ended in 2009.

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: