Cupra is the fast arm of VW Group value brand Seat
Already sells in Europe and Mexico, expanding to Australia soon
Volkswagen Group go-fast brand Cupra is looking at bringing its cars to the US, its CEO has said. What was a sub-brand is now looking at expanding on its own to sell more vehicles, and the second-largest auto market in the world would be a good place to do it.
Cupra began life as the fast trim level on VW Group brand Seat. The Spanish automaker was one of VW’s more discount brands but was still able to put out some impressive machinery.
In a story much like Volvo and Polestar, Cupra is now focusing on its own sporty models like the Formenter and Ateca. And the brand is putting an emphasis on electric models.
At the company’s annual conference earlier this week, company CEO Wayne Griffiths said that the U.S. and Canada were on the table. The brand has already broken into North American sales in Mexico.
“As far as our ambition of being truly global, we are currently analyzing a possible entry into the North American market,” he said, (via Automotive News Europe). “At the moment, we are testing our brand with potential clients; we think Americans would love Cupra’s design and great performance.”
Griffiths told Autocar that if Cupra entered our market it would only do so with larger models that were fully electric. “You need a car in the US that’s fit for the U.S. and electric,” he told Autocar. “A U.S. electric car is generally bigger, so it will be a next generation of electric cars that would be based on the SSP platform from VW.”
Market entry would likely be linked to Cupra’s transition to EV only. That’s expected to happen by 2030.
Before looking at the U.S., Cupra wants more market share at home. The CEO said Cupra was looking to snag three to four percent of the market in Europe. It currently holds 1.2 percent.
