Spanish brand Cupra is readying itself for a massive 2025 in Australia, with the company confirming it has a plan to roll out a heap of new metal next year.
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The company has confirmed it will kick off 2025 with the launch of the sportier Born VZ electric hot hatch, which will sit above the existing Born electric hatch that's still priced from $59,990 plus on-road costs.
The new Born VZ ups the ante in terms of power, though, with an uprated 250kW/545Nm rear-mounted motor lifting the electric hatch to a different level of performance.
Beyond that, the brand will launch a facelifted version of the Leon hatchback in the second quarter of 2025, with new powertrain options including a mild-hybrid base model, and an improved plug-in hybrid system with more EV range.
Alongside the Leon facelift will be the revamped Formentor, also with a new-look exterior design, revised interior elements, and a new plug-in hybrid system with more than 100km of EV range possible.
In the third quarter of 2025 there'll also be an all-new addition to the Cupra range, the much-anticipated Leon SportsTourer wagon, which is expected to be offered with a Golf R-spec performance powertrain and a plug-in hybrid option, too.
And in – literally – big news for the brand, the Cupra Terramar will launch in the third quarter of 2025, bringing a more practical, family-oriented offering that will compete with the likes of the five-seat VW Tiguan. It will strictly be a five-seater, but will have a few different derivatives available.
Full details and specifications, not to mention pricing, is yet to be confirmed for all of the aforementioned models, but Cupra Australia managing director Ben Wilks said the company is on the path to growth with a big expansion of its footprint, not to mention its product portfolio.
Mr Wilks said that in the first two years of sales in Australia, Cupra has managed to sell 6000 vehicles, with the brand now operating 12 sales locations and 14 service centres.
With increased volume aspirations, Mr Wilks admits Cupra needs to expand its physical presence.
"There's so much more to come. We aim to nearly double the network as at the end of 2025, and we're doing the same with the product range throughout 2025 – so quite a lot still to come," he said.
"Why are we trying to double the network? Because we want to double the model range as well.
"The Born VZ – which introduces into an even sportier segment with Born. The most exciting thing I can say here is 250kW and rear-wheel drive. I think that sums up this car very well.
"Of course next year the updated Leon and Formentor, the facelift models [are also due], and the car for which we hope to have quite a lot of excitement – the updated Leon SportsTourer," Mr Wilks said of the sporty wagon, which for many will be the ideal replacement for the axed VW Golf R wagon.
"It's been a long running project, and something that our passionate Cupra Tribe have definitely pushed along – so it will be great to bring that car."
"The next new hero is the Cupra Terramar, and this takes us into a new segment with a 4.6-metre SUV. It's a size segment we haven't been in before, and a great opportunity for the Cupra brand to keep growing.
"I think you can see why it is that we need to enlarge our footprint because we have to support the opportunity for all these cars coming," Mr Wilks added.
Previously the brand has stated that its intent is to sell 7000 cars in 2025 – a significant increase on the sales figure to date. Through the first six months of 2024, Cupra has moved just 1150 units.
Mr Wilks said the business still has that in mind as a flexible target, but Sven Schuwirth, Cupra executive vice president of sales and marketing, said the market realities may mean that the number must be revised downwards.
"No, we might adjust that for sure. The overall environment that is currently happening in the Australian market, it is somewhat struggling at the moment," he said.
"And we need to remain flexible. It's a core recipe of the success of Cupra. It's a buzz word, but we are quite agile and flexible, so just in terms of the product offers – BEV, plug-in hybrid, mild-hybrid, ICE – we have everything right now, but it's also how we approach the market.
"It's not only the Chinese brands and the competition for us, but whatever happens on the subsidies from the government, the tax regulations. We are living in a very unclear environment, which has also made us even stronger.
"Keep in mind, we launched this brand in COVID, then we had semiconductor shortages, and in Europe we have wars – one in Ukraine, one in Israel – so it's a different story.
"We have logistics issues, we have energy issues, and I think that remains the same, and that again leads you back that we need to remain flexible as an organisation including our largest national sales companies, but still have a target in mind."
In order to up the sales numbers and improve the value equation for customers, the brand has added a number of enticing options to the local range, including value-focused Tribe Edition versions of the Leon hatch and the Formentor plug-in hybrid SUV, while the new Ateca V base model has arrived from $49,888 drive-away.
It's also expected that Cupra will take a more aggressive approach to the launch of its all-new Tavascan electric crossover coupe, which is on target to start at around $70,000 for the base model Endurance, and about 10 per cent more for the all-wheel drive VZ grade.
Content originally sourced from: CarExpert.com.au
