Cupra considers 'provocative bodystyles' in move away from SUVs

Cupra will launch cars that “break segments” and have “very provocative bodystyles” as part of its next wave of models, the first of which could be seen in 2025.

In the six years since it was launched as a stand-alone brand sired from Seat, Cupra has made a series of crossover and hatchback models – a mixture of cars evolved from Seats such as the Leon and Ateca, those twinned with other Volkswagen Group models such as the new Terramar, Born, Tavascan and upcoming Raval hatchback, and stand-alone cars like the Formentor.

But its next wave of cars will be “iconic” models that don’t fit in existing segments. The other option of more conventional cars like saloons “wouldn’t be a priority”, according to Seat and Cupra CEO Wayne Griffiths.

He said: “We've deliberately gone SUV and crossover, because that's where the market is and that's what customers are looking for.

“If you want to make Cupra cool and make it iconic, then you need to start making iconic cars that perhaps don't fit in any segment. We are working on other cars that break the classic segments between saloons, estate cars and SUVs.

“Things will emerge and we'll see different opportunities. We are working on some very provocative bodystyles as well. Hopefully, we can show you one next year.”

A production version of the Dark Rebel concept is still possible but “not a priority at the moment”, according to Griffiths, as the firm instead looks to “grow the range with more volume cars and make money to finance all the investments we need to make”.

He said: “We're investing €10 billion in electrification. We're building a new brand. We have to take real care that every investment we make has a payoff, because without the payoff, we can't do it. We can't take too many reckless risks at this point in our early development.”

Even though the Dark Rebel is not on the agenda imminently, Griffiths said Cupra “would never stop dreaming and never stop having ambition” in making alternative models.

He said: “There are so many different emotional cars that I would love to do, starting with the Dark Rebel as a sports car. But I'm also challenging the team as well, looking at a kind of off-road-style buggy car.

“It would be electric and I think it would be fun. I think it would be a real game-changer, very emotional, but could also work in the city. I'm not talking about a car for the beaches. We have lots of ideas, lots of crazy ideas, but we have to keep focused.”

New Cupra models later in the decade will come from the Volkswagen Group’s next-generation SSP platform, which is able to underpin everything from superminis to sports cars. 

Griffiths confirmed that a high-performance range-topping version of the Terramar will be launched with more than 300bhp. It is most likely to have a plug-in hybrid drivetrain but could potentially use the 2.5-litre five-cylinder engine employed in various Audi RS models, should that engine be upgraded to meet Euro 7 emissions regulations in 2027. 

Such an engine would be “a dream” for the car, said Griffiths.

Diesels are no longer on the agenda at Cupra due to the rise of plug-in hybrids but Griffiths said the firm is looking to correct the absence of the four-wheel drive in the firm’s plug-in hybrid range and has engineering prototypes testing this to that end. 

Speaking at a press conference following the Cupra Terramar’s shortlisting for the 2025 Car of the Year, Griffiths rejected the idea that Cupra models are too similar to other Volkswagen Group cars, in particular the Terramar next to an Audi Q3 or VW Tiguan.

“All of the cars that we do at Cupra are differentiated – the design, obviously, and in terms of technology," he said. "We share the scale and the platforms of the VW Group, but our engineers adapt every car we make. We do it in a way that it feels more Cupra and drives like a Cupra.”

A US market launch remains on the agenda for Cupra and Griffiths said a larger Cupra crossover will be created with that market in mind. He also expects the Formentor to do well in the US and it was well received by potential US retail partners when they were shown the car as part of Cupra’s America’s Cup sponsorship in Barcelona.

Electric and plug-in hybrid drivetrains will feature in its US launch, a date for which has yet to be confirmed. The Terramar could also be part of the US range.

“We're still looking at the portfolio for the US, and we have to be very careful about that decision," he said. "We’re not just taking European cars and trying to sell them in the US: you need to make sure that the cars are also going to be accepted in the US.”

Cupra is also investigating additional global markets, including Taiwan and other territories in Asia. “I think growing our global footprint will be important to give credibility as a strong global brand,” said Griffiths.

That global footprint extends to the new Cupra Tavascan being built in China, which puts the brand at risk of tariffs for electric cars imported into the EU. Griffiths is “confident we can get a solution to avoid this” because the tariffs were “not put in place for cars like the Tavascan: they are there to avoid the dumping of cheap electric Chinese cars in Europe”.