Brand’s confirmation of a push in Australia adds strength to Kiwi campaign

EXPECT even sunnier days ahead for the Cupra and SEAT brands here now that our neighbour has also opened up to total Spanish conquest and adopted Kiwi-headed product choice.

Australia’s complete commitment to Cupra, which kicked off as a sporty trim grade of Volkswagen-owned SEAT but is now its own entity and fast becoming a disruptor in the electric vehicle sector, has cemented last week with sharing of a product plan that’s good news for New Zealand.

Our market – which has had the marques for some time now – can benefit from the supply train designed for our neighbour, which has set ambitious sales targets.

It also means that NZ release of Cupra’s debut electric, the sports-themed Born hatchback (above), will accelerate slightly, to be a goer in the first half of 2023.

There’s also good news in respect to other plug-enabled Cupras - the Terramar plug-in sports utility and a Leon hatch also enabled for mains-replenishment - and the fully electric Tavascan and Urban Rebel ultra-compact models. They’re all pictured above, with Tavascan on the left, Urban Rebel front right and Teramar behind.

All these (save the SEAT, which is a NZ-bespoke choice) having been indicated as starters across the Tasman strengthens the NZ distributor’s pitch for those cars.

This has been explained by James Yates, general manager at SEAT and Cupra, part of the Giltrap Group which umbrellas all the VW Group marques here.

Yates went to Sydney last week to meet with Cupra’s global brand chief executive Wayne Griffiths, who’d flown in for a big soiree to announce what’s been availed to this part of the world.

A 90-minute “highly fruitful” meeting with Griffiths was a follow up to a trip Yates made to Spain last month, where he viewed the future products, some of which are not likely to make it here until 2025.

Cupra and SEAT are the smallest cogs in the national VW Group machine; thy don’t have the same profile achieve more modest volumes here than sister marques VW, Audi and Skoda, but they’ve established a good foothold.

The SEAT Tarraco is a popular fleet/rental choice and latest Cupras, particularly the most recently-arrived, super-rakish Formentor sports five-seater, are pumping up the badge’s street cred.

After claiming 325 registrations in 2021, of which 169 were SEATS, things have been a little quiet; mainly through stock restrictions triggered by the global semiconductor shortage. To date this year the Cupra count has come to 151 units.

However, Yates knows the clarity about the future product portfolio will raise the marques’ standing and he’s working through plans to broaden national availability, with sales representation not just in the main centres but also some select regional spots. It’s a work in progress.

The potential of a stronger feed line into this part of the world makes it possible to think bigger. NZ can still operate with independence, and might achieve some models ahead of the neighbour because we don’t need to have cars compliant to Australian Design Rules. To all intents and purposes, though, the cars coming here will be identical to those hitting Australia.

The franchise there is ambitious: It aims to kick off with 1600 sales in the second half of 2022, starting with the Leon hatch, Ateca and Formentor SUVs – cars that also resonate with Kiwis.

The next one along to both countries is Born (above), which is twinned with the Volkswagen ID.3 hatch. But there’ll be no chance of confusing those two cars in showrooms here – the ID.3 is not being chosen for sale in NZ (though some grey imports have landed). That decision gives Cupra a handy opportunity to carve its own territory with what will basically be a bespoke electric model.

New Zealand specification and pricing for Born has not been determined yet.

Internal combustion models are staying around for years yet, but electric is increasingly important. That’s why a plug-in version of the Formentor is coming and also why the Terramar SUV, a 4.5 metre model designed to go up against the VW Tiguan and Mazda CX-5, will also span hybrid and full ICE options, but will also feature the brand’s last internal combustion engine.

By 2025 the family will have grown to also include the Urban Rebel ultra-compact EV and Tavascan electric sports utility, also off the same MEB platform as Born (and VW’s ID range, plus the Audi Q4 and Skoda Enyaq), core elements of the plan to make Cupra transition into a fully electric brand by 2030.

Yates had a good look at the Cupra Urban Rebel, which he says it very close to the concept pictured today save that it loses the rear wing and other motorsport-themed aero bits, and is excited by the potential.

The car uses the VW Group’s smallest battery electric platform – dubbed MEB Small – which will also be used for a Volkswagen to be called ID.1, as well as a Skoda.

The concept is designed to be a genuinely affordable EV and to promote mass adoption of battery cars from 2025 onwards; so a sub $40,000 price is the big aim. Cupra’s is set to be offered with 166kW power and 440km driving range and should accomplish a 0-100kmh sprint of 6.9 seconds.

Griffiths’ comment to Australian media about how their country makes a natural market for Cupra’s expansion as a challenger brand also fits equally for NZ, Yates says.

He says the big boss has been very happy about how the SEAT and Cupra brands have integrated, not least given all the challenges Covid has brought. SEAT-branded has increasingly taken a back seat to the more vibrant Cupra identity here, and the founder brand could come under review in time, but at the moment the operation is happy to have both represented, rather than go purely for Cupra, as Australia has done.

There’s no doubt, though, that Cupra is the one with biggest cojones. It alone is targeting half a million global sales by 2025. It sold just under 80,000 units in 2021, triple its result in 2020.