New face for Cupra

CUPRA has unveiled revised and revamped versions of its Formentor SUV and Leon hatchback and Sportstourer wagon, but Australian buyers will have to wait almost a year to see the updated models on sale here.

The new design for the Formentor and Leon models brings them into line with the upcoming range-topping Terramar SUV which will be the largest model on offer from the Spanish brand.

Key to the changes are redesigned triangulated lighting effects front and rear, as well as a new look grille and bumper adopting a “shark nose” look. Inside, each version sees updates to the usability of the media systems and new backlit controls - a bugbear for owners of the previous model - and upgraded, more eco-conscious materials.

Further, updated engines are on the cards, with a new mild-hybrid entry powertrain as well as a revised plug-in hybrid with significantly more EV range and a powered up Golf R-spec option with a reconfigured AWD system and Drift mode.

Jeff Shafer, Cupra head of product and marketing for Australia, said the brand will launch these new models as soon as it’s possible to do so, but confirmed that the entry-level variants will arrive at the start of the second quarter next year, while the high-spec performance and plug-in hybrid models will not arrive until mid-2025.

“The cars will go into production shortly for Europe, and we're about two to three months later in terms of our production. Obviously there's a lot of time in the transport from Europe to our market. So it takes two to three months, basically, between production and when we have the products to launch, but we're not that far behind when you actually look at the start of production (SOP),” said Mr Shafer.

“The delay in terms of SOP generally comes down to homologation requirements for Australia. So we have differences in the ADRs that we have, to get the test results and submit for our local approvals, before we can push ‘go’ on production.

Ben Wilks, Cupra Australia brand director, pointed out that the skew for our market is towards the most performance-oriented models and also those with plug-in hybrid powertrains which are also seeing big demand from other markets.

“It’s worth noting that in Australia, we're taking the very highest specification performance engines in the range and so they come on stream a little bit later as well. So there's some delays as part of that,” he said.

The new base model engine will be a 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol with 48-volt mild-hybrid technology designed to help out in stop-start situations. The TSIe powertrain is good for 110kW of power and 250Nm of torque and still uses a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. It is expected the new powertrain will replace the entry-level V (110kW 2.0L turbo FWD) models.

There will also be a new plug-in hybrid offered with a power bump to 200kW (currently 180kW) while also offering a larger 19.7kWh battery pack that sees an increase to its EV driving range claim to 100 kilometres, up from 58km from the existing 12.9kWh pack.

Cupra has confirmed a plug-in hybrid option with 200kW of power and 100km of electric range will hit Australia in the middle of 2025, while the range will be topped by a new 245kW all-wheel drive model with Drift Mode.

Further details and specifications, including pricing, will be confirmed closer to the launch of the 2025 Formentor and Leon models.

Cupra has started off 2024 slowly, with a drop in sales compared to last year. For the first three months of 2024, 579 Cupra models have been registered in Australia, or a 28.3 per cent drop on the first quarter of 2023.

Despite that, the brand says it is on track to match or slightly better its overall annual sales number from 2023, where it sold 3765 units.

The brand has just celebrated the 5000th Cupra sale in its two-year existence here.