Ever heard of a Spanish automaker called Cupra? Well, prepare to. You can expect to start seeing a duo of cars (at least) from this Volkswagen subsidiary on the streets of America by the end of the decade.
The Cupra brand plans to expand to the U.S. market, selling two crossovers — a hybrid and an EV — each with a sportier ethos than Audi but a price point nearer to VW.
A New Electric-Focused Brand? Now?
At the moment, the timing sure seems questionable. Arriving amid declining EV sales and the seemingly nonstop drama of potential tariffs (or not). But anyone with an automotive eye who has visited Europe lately will know that the Cupra brand plays in the big leagues. It has since spun off from Seat in 2018.
Hence, a flock of journalists recently joined Cupra at Formula E in Miami, where the company offered a chance for a test drive. Plus, Cupra’s executives made the trip to outline exactly how this takeover will take place — if it takes place at all.
Watching the Formula E electric race capped off the weekend, but felt somewhat irrelevant to Cupra’s plans. Mostly because of the biggest question on everyone’s minds: Trump.
But, VP of Sales, Marketing, and Aftersales Sven Schuwirth told me that Cupra’s long-term plans simply look past the current temperamental administration. After all, Trump will leave office in 2029, unless the two-term limit evaporates or democracy crumbles entirely.
I know that everyone is a bit, like, freaking out currently with what’s happening because one day we have taxes, the next day we don’t have taxes. I mean, it’s a bit like gambling at the moment … I would love to know what will be the tax situation or the import duty situation in a few years from now. I think no one can tell us, let’s see. And the good thing is that we do have the backbone of all Volkswagen Group, and we’re gonna find a way.
— Sven Schuwirth, Cupra VP of Sales, Marketing, and Aftersales
Cupra Brand Will Arrive With the Vehicles Americans Want
By 2030, Cupra plans to debut two new models to target the heart of America’s crossover market: a smaller and sportier crossover, plus a larger unibody SUV (not a three-row) to satisfy families that also appreciate driving dynamics. For the latter, think Q5 size rather than Q7. But the car I drove, a gas-powered Formentor, aligns nearer to a Q3 with a slightly stretched wheelbase.
“We share with different Volkswagen groups,” Schuwirth explained. “Across each and every brand, from Porsche down to Volkswagen. We share several components of our platforms, which we always combine. We cook it differently, so in terms of design and everything which is customer-facing, or the whole setup of the chassis control, body control, energy management. All these things we do on our own.”
Brand Already a Bestseller in Europe
The Formenter is currently Cupra’s bestselling CUV in Europe, moving around 110,000 units annually. The Cupra brand also sells in Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, Colombia, and Chile, to name a few more markets.
At first glance in Miami, I dug the sharp exterior styling that clearly differentiates this crossover from its Volkswagen Group siblings. But, then again, I visit Europe a ton, and see these things everywhere.
This specific Formentor showed up in the U.S., tricked out with the full package. The matte bronze wheels match the Cupra logo, hiding huge Akebono brakes and setting off the matte metal exhaust tips nicely. I only got to hear that exhaust a bit after pushing the drive mode button on the steering wheel, though.
I also selected manual mode via a little nubbin of a gear selector on the center console, and then used the paddle shifters to control the seven-speed dual-clutch transmission.
Loads of Turbocharged Power
With 333 horsepower out of a familiar 2.0L turbo-four, the Formentor rips around happily. Though admittedly, the mean streets (read: traffic) of Miami squashed most of my fun, so I never got to try out turning the stability control fully off or access the dedicated drift mode. At least the pop and burble echoing off art-deco storefronts kept a grin on my face.
The steering adds some weight versus a more typical Audi, while the suspension setup handled Miami’s weather-beaten roads nicely. All but the worst clunks and potholes, anyway, while simultaneously managing body roll quite well for the few moments I got to drive hard at all.
The Details Show Where the Cupra Brand Saves Cash
I realized later that the drive mode button itself represents a sort of microcosm for the entire Formentor. The convenient location and design reminded me of Porsche (or Maserati, for a Stellantis reference). But keeping it a push button rather than a dial clearly saves a few bucks.
Throughout the car, most of the touchpoints similarly toed a fine line between thoughtful materials and budget-minded plastics. At least the textures avoid the sanitized blandness of piano-black plastic, for the most part.
Clearly, Cupra recognizes what makes a difference for the overall driving experience — and decided to prioritize investment into the details that matter most.
“We still want to remain sharp and crisp in terms of our positioning,” Schuwirth told me. “It’s more or less a car built around the driver, for the driver, and everything else comes secondary.”
“There’s a spot in the U.S. which no company is currently delivering on. It’s like an emotional, authentic experience for the upcoming next generation. It maybe sounds a bit like marketing on a high level, but simply, if you look at the U.S. market and the competition acting in the market, no one is really properly addressing that segment, and that’s what we aim for,” he said.
Performance Bargains Coming Soon
If the plan lives up to reality, the Cupra brand hopes to sell the smaller crossover for around $40,000 and the larger for $50,000. One engineer even showed me the rendering of a concept sports car he’d love to bring to production. But he also admitted the unlikelihood, even in Europe. Not to mention that manual hatchbacks sold worldwide probably will not make it to the USA, either.
In fact, Cupra only ever plans to target 12 states — perhaps as expected, on the coasts and just a few other major cities. Why not at least harbor some goal of converting Middle America? The cupholders, Schuwirth joked (a little, anyway), are not ready for our slurpees and frappuccinos.
“When it comes to the interior and the roominess requirements, you guys have different sizes of cups,” he laughed. “And for sure we need to consider that right from the beginning, and not offer you a car with tiny cupholders.”
Cupra Brand Will Target Only Certain States
At the moment, Cupra’s sales network includes 1,100 worldwide “Cupra Garages” and 10 more premium “Cupra City Garages” with two more on the way later this year. That should provide a reasonable expectation of how sales might unfold here, though the plan could always change.
“We for sure don’t plan to tackle all the states,” Schuwirth confirmed. “So we made a selection where Cupra’s brand actually does fit for the customers and the customer needs. Which is more or less on the East Coast, West Coast, Sunbelt, and a few cities in between. The good thing is that we are part of Volkswagen group, which gives us enough room to operate flexibly. So we for sure do already have production facilities in the United States, as well as in Mexico.”
All-Electric Plans Are No More
Clearly, the situation is in flux: Cupra announced this plan last year with the goal of arriving with 100% electric cars. But as with other automakers, that plan started to backtrack quickly.
If tariffs do wind up sticking around, or even if not, that potential ability to manufacture cars in the United States may make all the difference. Especially for an EV, again, if rebate incentives figure into the picture.
Is the U.S. Ready for a New Electrified Brand From Europe?
What an interesting quandary the Cupra brand faces, along with the Volkswagen Group. Are Americans ready for a new brand? Auto Motor Sport, perhaps Europe’s most significant automotive outlet, ranked Cupra as the trendiest brand in Europe. It put Cupra ahead of BMW in second and Porsche in third!
Fittingly, the upstart’s marketing slogan, “There is no second place,” comes from racing. “Cupra” itself is even a portmanteau of “Cup Racing.”
And yet, without a doubt, any new company planning an expansion to the U.S. will sit low on the totem pole for a nice long while. Can Volkswagen absorb that kind of investment? If so, for exactly how long?
Based on the personalities and cars I experienced in Miami, I suspect that eventually the Cupra could find enough profitability and success to justify Volkswagen’s effort in the first place. Or at least justify the decision to dole out bucks into a new market segment, rather than simply focusing on building better VWs, Audis, and Porsches.
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