Volkswagen established the Cupra brand to add sportiness and cool design to its relatively bland electric cars. If successful, Cupra may eventually attempt to enter the U.S. market.
Cupra will gradually replace SEAT, which never dared to appear in America. SEAT is one of VW’s value brands, comprising its own name brand and Skoda, all sharing basic engineering. Czech Republic-based Skoda has been highly successful and can command prices higher than the VW equivalent in some markets. Spain’s SEAT has never been more than an anonymous brand with little consumer appeal, other than price.
Cupra is supposed to change all that.
Current SEATs will be phased out through this decade. Instead, it will make small “mobility solutions” like e-scooters. Maybe it will provide the VW bridgehead to the EV mass market with vehicles to match little Chinese ones like the Wuling Bingo and BYD Seagull?
When Cupra appeared in 2018 the Chinese threat was just a background nightmare. Cupra’s looks and handling are designed to add excitement to VW’s worthy electric vehicle range.
I’ve just been driving Cupra’s first electric vehicle, the Born. Prices start at around £35,000 ($42,500) after tax. The competition in this sector is massive. Like most electric cars, it is hopeless as a long-distance, fast cruiser. But the Cupra, like the ID.3, has an effective regenerative braking system.
French auto consultants Inovev said Europe’s traditional carmakers will find it difficult to compete with Tesla and the Chinese in the electric sector because the newcomers are perceived as technology leaders, with the locals playing catchup. A totally new brand may, at least in the short term, win sales.
“In this context, the strategy of VW can be understood and seems logical, meaning: launching a new brand focussed on electric cars and at the same time keeping the historical ones VW and Audi because they simply cannot kill them,” said Jamel Taganza, vice-president of Inovev in an email exchange.
“For instance, the strategy of Renault may be a little bit risky because it may have a good electric product – Megane and now Scenic – but the image behind it is still strongly connected to a (gasoline) car company,” Taganza said.
At the recent IAA auto show in Munich, Cupra CEO Wayne Griffiths said the company was well prepared for any downturn. Sales were so far less than at SEAT, but Cupra is more profitable.
Cupra has three upcoming launches, the Tavascan, a mid-size electric SUV imported from China, the Terramar, similar to a little Audi A3, and the Raval, a small electric hatchback which will be launched in 2025.
At the show, Griffiths said there was a possibility of launching a product in the U.S., probably a large SUV.
Investment bank UBS said VW’s overall electric lineup had underperformed and the more aggressively styled Born might help attract buyers.
“However, the underpinnings (of the Cupra) are still the same as in VW’s other vehicles, so the launch of the new models may not yet address the underlying issue VW is facing. Furthermore, moving to the U.S. could end up being, in the words of Mr Griffiths, an “expensive experiment,” UBS said in a report.
Late last month VW announced that because of weak sales in Europe it would suspend production of the ID.3 and Born at the Zwickau plant in Germany. Production was suspended from October 2 to October 16.
Zwickau is VW’s biggest EV plant in Europe with annual output of 300,000 vehicles. Production includes the ID.4, ID.5, Audi Q4 e-tron and Audi Q4 Sportback e-tron.
Would SEAT eventually be the first VW brand to go for the ultimate cheap electric runabout like the Bingo and Seagull? Inovev’s Taganza wasn’t sure.
“In the future, maybe VW will also launch a new “low price” brand to compete with BYD and Wuling, but the group has to manage the existing and the future at the same time, which is quite challenging and which is not the case of its new competitors,” Taganza said.
Cupra Born V3 58kWh e-Boost 228 hp
Power – 228 hp @ 5,300-7,000
Torque – 310 Nm @ 0-5,000 rpm
Gearbox – Single-speed
Battery – 58 kWh lithium-ion
Claimed battery range – 226 miles (WLTP)
WintonsWorld test range capacity – 211.4 miles (5 charges)
Highway cruising range estimate – 117.3 miles
Highway cruising penalty – 44.5%
Acceleration – 0-60 mph 6.6 seconds
Top speed – 99 mph
Price – £42,490 ($52,000) after tax
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