Spanish brand Cupra flies high

SPANISH Volkswagen Group brand Cupra has kicked a goal in the weeks after lobbing here despite the fact its cars have minimal profile in Australia. The new ‘challenger’ brand made available on Thursday last week an allocation of 98 Leon and Formentor VZe Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs), half of which sold out on the first day.

They were made available online Thursday morning with Cupra customers overwhelmingly going for fully optioned versions of the brand’s hybrid cars. This follows a precedent set with Cupras that have already made it into an Aussie owner’s garage in the past month.

Cupra says it’s a familiar pattern for customers of the brand with brand director Ben Wilks saying: “The rapid response to the first consignment of Cupra’s Leon and Formentor VZe PHEVs demonstrates the pent up demand for genuine hybrids.”

“Urban customers especially can drive in full EV mode almost all of the time. Both the Leon and the Formentor have a fully battery driven, zero emission range of some 50km. That gets quite a few average commutes and school runs in before recharging.

“The added surety of a highly efficient, Euro 6 level turbo petrol engine makes PHEVs an attractive proposition for use beyond metropolitan area where charging is not yet readily available.

“Even when the battery is run down, it behaves likes a more conventional hybrid, using the combustion engine to replenish battery range – also it’s not just coincidental that Cupra PHEVs are hybrids that are fun to drive and look great too,” he said.

Mr Wilks said that Cupra Australia would secure further VZe variants as soon as possible.

The Cupra Leon VZe hybrid pricing starts at $60,490 plus on road costs while the Formentor VZe hybrid starts at $60,990 plus ORCs.

Both models feature a 1.4-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine with 110kW/250Nm coupled to an electric motor with 85kW/300Nm. Combined system output is 180kW/400Nm driving through a six-speed wet dual-clutch transmission.

Cupra was launched globally in 2018, with corporate headquarters and a race-car workshop in Martorell, Barcelona, in addition to a global network of specialised points of sale.

Despite the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, Cupra made market inroads during 2021 tripling sales with 80,000 vehicles delivered, driven primarily by the Formentor SUV.

Cupra sells itself of the premise that electrification and sportiness are a perfect match, and in 2022 will expand the range of the Cupra Born, the brand’s first 100 per cent electric vehicle, offering models with different battery capacities, as well as a more powerful e-Boost version.

An exclusive, limited-edition version of the Cupra Formentor VZ5 will also be introduced, followed by the Cupra Tavascan, the brand’s second all-electric model, in 2024. It will be joined by the brand’s first urban electric car, inspired by the UrbanRebel concept, in 2025.

Cupra is soccer team FC Barcelona’s official automotive and mobility partner, the World Padel Tour’s premium sponsor and the official sponsor of the eSports Club Finetwork KOI. Collaborating with brands such as Primavera Sound and De Antonio Yachts, it has created the Cupra “lifestyle universe” with “The Cupra Tribe” made up of a team of ambassadors who want to be the driving force of change.

Among its members are Olympic gold medallists Adam Peaty, Melvin Richardson and Saúl Craviotto, the German goalkeeper Marc ter Stegen, and Ballon d'Or and Best FIFA Award-winning footballer Alexia Putellas.