Launched in 2018, Cupra (an off-shoot of Seat) is coming Down Under in 2022 with the Formentor coupe-SUV likely to be the first cab off the rank.
In a bold move, Australia is set to become the first market outside of Europe for the Cupra performance brand. Cupra is a performance-oriented offshoot of Seat which is part of the Volkswagen Group.
The announcement was made overnight by Cupra boss Wayne Griffiths with local details expected within the next few weeks. The brand will begin operations here in 2022.
“I can announce that next year we will start our operations in Australia as a key move towards expanding in the Asia-Pacific region. Australia is a young market and CUPRA is a young brand. Customers are looking for new brands, there is a high middle-class income and it is a progressive society. We are confident that CUPRA can be successful in this country,” Mr Griffiths said.
It’s unknown what vehicles Cupra will offer Down Under but the Cupra Formentor could well be the spearhead model. The Formentor is a coupe-like crossover which is the first vehicle purposely designed for the Cupra brand – as such it’ll never be branded as anything else. This thing offers either a turbocharged 2.0L all-wheel drive setup or a plug-in hybrid variant.
In his announcement about Australia, Griffiths also confirmed production of its second all-electric model, the Cupra Tavascan which will be designed and developed in Spain and based on the VW Group’s MEB platform. It’s expected to reach Europe and overseas markets in 2024.
So, Internet, what do you think, does Australia need a new brand?
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