Company type | Sociedad Anónima Unipersonal / subsidiary |
---|---|
Industry | Automotive |
Founded | 2018[1] |
Fate | Created as a brand of SEAT in 1996, it became an independent manufacturer in 2018 [1] |
Headquarters | Martorell, Catalonia, Spain |
Area served | Europe, Middle East, Africa, Latin America, Singapore and Australia |
Key people | Wayne Griffiths (President) |
Products | Automobiles |
Production output | 246,749 vehicles (2023) [2] |
Parent | SEAT |
Divisions | Cupra Racing |
Website | cupraofficial.es |
SEAT Cupra S.A.U., trading as Cupra (stylised in all caps) is a subsidiary of Spanish car manufacturer SEAT, which is part of Volkswagen Group. It is headquartered in Martorell near Barcelona, Spain.
Originating from SEAT's motorsport division Cupra Racing, the Cupra brand was introduced as a standalone brand in January 2018, after being used as a performance sub-brand of SEAT since 1996. While initial Cupra models are based on SEAT vehicles, in September 2020 Cupra introduced the first Cupra-only vehicle, the Cupra Formentor. In 2021, the brand introduced its first electric car called the Cupra Born.
Cupra originated from Cupra Racing (previously SEAT Sport), the high-performance motorsport subsidiary of SEAT. The "Cupra" name, short for "Cup Racing" [1] was first used in 1996 by the SEAT Ibiza GTI 2.0 16V Cupra Sport. It is a street legal version of the Ibiza Mk2 kit car used in the competition, created as a special edition to celebrate SEAT's victory in the 1996 FIA 2-Litre World Rally Cup, a subdivision of the World Rally Championship at that time. [3] [4] It was followed by the SEAT Ibiza Cupra 1.8 20V in 1999, and the more powerful Ibiza Cupra R in 2000. [5]
Over the following two decades, SEAT introduced a succession of hot hatchbacks marketed with the Cupra badge, such as the SEAT León Cupra 1.8 20V in 1999, and in the following year the SEAT Leon Cupra 4, which is the first AWD Cupra and the only six-cylinder Cupra. [6] Since then, every SEAT León generation has been supplemented with a Cupra-badged hot hatch version. [5]
In 2017, then SEAT CEO Luca de Meo hinted at the possibility of Cupra becoming a standalone brand. At that point, Cupra was only available as the performance version of the León. [7] On 31 January 2018, SEAT confirmed that it is launching Cupra as a standalone brand, [8] followed by an announcement event on 22 February 2018. [9] In the event, brand showcased prototypes of future Cupra models such as the Cupra Ateca. [10] SEAT's head of sales and marketing at that time, Wayne Griffiths targeted the brand to double the sales within the following four to five years, helping SEAT achieve sustainable profitability. Cupra cars would be sold in selected SEAT dealerships in Europe with dedicated floor space. [11]
The Cupra logo was designed by Alejandro Mesonero-Romanos, which was conceived by intersecting two triangles. According to Mesonero-Romanos, the philosophy of the triangular logo is that a triangle is a dynamic shape, has a stable base and pointing in a clear direction. [12]
The first model from the standalone Cupra brand is the Cupra Ateca, which was introduced in October 2018. [13] The Cupra León joined the line-up in February 2020, following the introduction of the SEAT León Mk4. [14] In March 2020, Cupra introduced the Formentor after being previewed as a near-production concept vehicle at the Geneva International Motor Show in November 2019. It is the first Cupra product that is not shared with SEAT. [15]
In February 2021, the Cupra Born was introduced as Cupra's first electric car. Contrary to its concept version that was showcased as the SEAT el-Born, the Born became a Cupra-exclusive model while remain closely related to the Volkswagen ID.3. [16] The second electric car from Cupra is the Tavascan, which was launched in April 2023. The Tavascan was preceded by the concept car with the same name shown at the 2019 Frankfurt Motor Show. It is also the first Cupra model produced outside Europe, as it is produced by Volkswagen Anhui in China. [17]
In March 2024, Cupra announced its intention to enter the U.S. market "by the end of the decade". The planned models to be sold are the next-generation electric Formentor, and an unnamed larger electric vehicle to be produced in Mexico. [18]
Body style | Model | Current generation | Vehicle description | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Image | Name(s) | Introduction (cal. year) | Update (facelift) | ||
Hatchback | Born | 2021 | - | Battery electric C-segment hatchback based on the Volkswagen ID.3. Built on a dedicated electric vehicle platform, MEB. | |
León | 2020 | 2024 | Performance version of the SEAT León. | ||
Station wagon | León Sportstourer | 2020 | 2024 | Performance version of the SEAT León Sportstourer/Estate. | |
Crossover SUV | Ateca | 2018 | 2020 | Performance version of the SEAT Ateca. | |
Formentor | 2020 | 2024 | Compact crossover SUV (C-segment) based on the León. First standalone model for Cupra. | ||
Tavascan | 2023 | - | Battery electric C-segment coupe SUV built on a dedicated electric vehicle platform, MEB. |
De Antonio Yachts D28 Formentor is a yacht introduced in July 2021 as a collaborative project between Barcelona-based shipbuilder De Antonio Yachts and Cupra's Color & Trim division. Its design was said to be inspired by the Cupra Formentor VZ5. [19] [20]
Year | Models | Total | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ateca | León | Formentor | Born | ||
2020 [21] | N/A | N/A | 11,041 | - | N/A |
2021 [22] | 4,505 | 13,670 | 58,863 | 4,801 | 81,839 |
2022 [22] | 8,841 | 20,070 | 105,568 | 36,153 | 170,632 |
2023 [2] | 14,228 | 62,103 | 124,670 | 45,748 | 246,749 |
SEAT S.A. (, Spanish:[ˈseat]; Sociedad Española de Automóviles de Turismo is a Spanish car manufacturer, that sells its vehicles under the SEAT and Cupra brands. Founded on 9 May 1950, it was created as a joint venture between Spain's government-owned Instituto Nacional de Industria, which held a majority stake, Spanish private banks, and Fiat. After being listed as an independent automaker for 36 years, the Spanish government sold SEAT to the Volkswagen Group in 1986, and it remains a fully owned subsidiary of the Group.
The SEAT Ibiza is a supermini car that has been manufactured by Spanish car manufacturer SEAT since 1984. It is SEAT's best-selling car. The Ibiza is named after the Spanish island of Ibiza and was the second SEAT model to be named after a Spanish location, after the SEAT Málaga. It was introduced at the 1984 Paris Motor Show as the first car developed by SEAT as an independent company, although it was designed by SEAT in collaboration with well-known firms including Italdesign, Karmann, and Porsche.
The SEAT León, also spelled Leon in some other languages, is a small family car built by the Spanish car manufacturer SEAT since October 1999.
The Geneva International Motor Show was an annual auto show held in March in the Swiss city of Geneva.
Abt Sportsline is a motor racing and auto tuning company based in Kempten im Allgäu, Germany. Abt mainly deals with Audi and the related primary Volkswagen Group brands—Volkswagen, Škoda, and SEAT—modifying them by using sports-type suspensions, engine power upgrades, lightweight wheels, aerodynamic components and more. It has been active in DTM for more than a decade. After the death of their father Johann in 2003, the company with 170 employees in their headquarters in Kempten was run by the brothers Hans-Jürgen Abt and Christian Abt. Since 2011, Hans-Jürgen Abt has run the company.
BlueMotion is a trading name for certain car models from the Volkswagen Group, emphasizing higher fuel efficiency.
The Volkswagen Group MQB platform is the company's strategy for shared modular design construction of its transverse, front-engine, front-wheel-drive layout automobiles. It was first introduced in the Volkswagen Golf Mk7 in late 2012. Volkswagen spent roughly $8bn developing this new platform and the cars employing it. The platform underpins a wide range of cars from the supermini class to the mid size SUV class. MQB allows Volkswagen to assemble any of its cars based on this platform across all of its MQB ready factories. This allows the Volkswagen group flexibility to shift production as needed between its different factories. Beginning in 2012, Volkswagen Group marketed the strategy under the code name MQB, which stands for Modularer Querbaukasten, translating from German to "Modular Transversal Toolkit" or "Modular Transverse Matrix". MQB is one strategy within VW's overall MB program which also includes the similar MLB strategy for vehicles with longitudinal engine orientation.
Cupra Racing, formerly known as SEAT Sport, is the high-performance motorsport subsidiary of the Spanish automobile manufacturer SEAT, founded in 1985, succeeding the "SEAT Special Vehicles department" which had been formed in 1971 with the mission to enforce the brand's participation in rally championships, followed by 11 titles between 1979 and 1983. In 2018, SEAT created the Cupra brand as its independent high-performance branch and SEAT Sport was officially replaced by Cupra Racing.
Luca de Meo is an Italian automotive executive who is currently the CEO of Renault Group.
The Automobile Barcelona is an auto show held every second year at Fira de Barcelona's Montjuïc Exhibition Centre in the city of Barcelona, Catalonia (Spain). Established in 1919, the Automobile Barcelona is one of the biggest trade fairs held at Barcelona’s Fira exhibition site and one of the most important fairs in Spain for both the number of visitors and participating brands. The show is scheduled in May by the Organisation Internationale des Constructeurs d'Automobiles (OICA).
The SEAT Ateca is a compact crossover SUV (C-segment) manufactured by Spanish automaker SEAT. The brand's first SUV offering, the Ateca is built on the Volkswagen Group MQB A1 platform and sits in the C-SUV segment, between the Arona and Tarraco within SEAT's crossover SUV lineup. It was unveiled as a production vehicle on 1 March 2016 in Barcelona.
The SEAT Arona is a subcompact crossover SUV (B-segment) manufactured by SEAT since 2017. It is the smallest crossover SUV offered by the Spanish brand. It slots in below the Ateca compact model and Tarraco seven-seater.
The Volkswagen Group MEB platform is a modular car platform for electric cars developed by the Volkswagen Group and its subsidiaries. It is used in models of Audi, Cupra, Škoda, and Volkswagen, along with Ford through partnership. The architecture is aimed to "consolidate electronic controls and reduce the number of microprocessors, advance the application of new driver-assistance technology and somewhat alter the way cars are built" by the VW Group.
The SEAT Minimó is a concept electric quadricycle which was developed by the Spanish car manufacturer SEAT. It was first announced at the 2019 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona and was first revealed at the Geneva International Motor Show that year, alongside the Volkswagen ID.3-based Cupra Born and Cupra Formentor concept vehicles.
The Cupra Formentor is a compact crossover SUV (C-segment) manufactured by the Spanish car manufacturer SEAT under their Cupra performance-oriented sub-brand. Marketed as a coupé SUV, it is the first car designed specifically for the sub-brand. The production version was revealed in March 2020, after its unveiling was postponed when the COVID-19 pandemic led to the cancellation of the 2020 Geneva Motor Show. It was previewed as a near-production concept vehicle at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show. It is named after the Formentor peninsula on the Spanish island of Mallorca. Production of the Formentor started in late September 2020.
Alejandro Mesonero-Romanos Aguilar is a Spanish car designer.
The Cupra Tavascan is an battery electric compact crossover SUV (C-segment) to be produced by Volkswagen Anhui, a joint venture between Volkswagen (75%) and Chinese company JAC Group (25%), and sold by Cupra, a subsidiary of SEAT.
The Cupra Born is a battery electric compact car/small family car (C-segment) marketed by SEAT through its performance-oriented Cupra marque. Initially unveiled as the SEAT el-Born concept in 2019, the production car was revealed in May 2021 as the Cupra Born. The Born is based on the Volkswagen Group MEB platform and has been manufactured at the same plant in Zwickau, Germany, as the MEB-based Volkswagen ID.3. The car is named after a neighbourhood in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
The Cupra Terramar is an upcoming compact crossover SUV planned for production in 2024 by Spanish Cupra performance-oriented brand. It will come in mild-hybrid- and plug-in-hybrid versions. The car will be around 4.5 metres (15 ft) long. With a new PHEV technology the new model will have a pure electric range of up to 100 km (62 mi). The Terramar will allegedly replace the Cupra Ateca. It will be the last Cupra launched with a combustion engine offering, as the brand looks to going all-electric in 2030. The car uses an updated version of the MQB platform which underpins Cupra's ICE-powered cars.