Spanish brand Cupra is gearing up for a big 2025 in Australia, confirming it plans to launch plenty of new metal next year.
The company has confirmed that it will start 2025 with the launch of the sportier Born VZ electric hot hatch, which will sit above the existing Born electric hot hatch, which remains priced at $59,990 plus on-road costs.
However, the new Born VZ goes one step further in terms of performance: an improved rear engine with 250 kW/545 Nm takes the electric tailgate to a new level of performance.
In addition, the brand will launch a revised 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 greater electric range.
In addition to the Leon facelift, there will also be the revised Formentor, also with a new exterior design, revised interior elements and a new plug-in hybrid system that enables an electric range of over 100 km.
The third quarter of 2025 will also see a completely new model in the Cupra range: the highly anticipated Leon SportsTourer station wagon, which is expected to be offered with a high-performance drivetrain in Golf R format and optionally with a plug-in hybrid drive.
And in big news for the brand, literally, the Cupra Terramar will launch in the third quarter of 2025 and will be a more practical, family-focused offering that will compete with vehicles like the five-seat VW Tiguan. It will be a pure five-seater, but a few different derivatives will be available.
Full details and specifications as well as pricing are yet to be confirmed for all of the above models, but Cupra Australia managing director Ben Wilks said the company is on a growth trajectory and will significantly expand its presence and, not least, its product portfolio.
Mr Wilks said Cupra sold 6,000 vehicles in its first two years on sale in Australia and the brand now operates 12 dealerships and 14 service centres.
Mr Wilks admits that Cupra needs to expand its physical presence given its increased volume ambitions.
“There is so much more to come. We want to almost double the network by the end of 2025, and we are doing the same with the product range over the course of 2025 – so there is still a lot to come,” he said.
“Why are we trying to double the network? Because we also want to double the model range.”
“The Born VZ – which enters an even sportier segment with Born. The most exciting thing I can say here is 250 kW and rear-wheel drive. I think that describes this car very well.
“Of course, next year the updated Leon and Formentor, the facelift models [are also due]and the car we hope to get a lot of excitement about – the updated Leon SportsTourer,” Wilks said of the sporty station wagon, which for many will be the ideal replacement for the discontinued VW Golf R station wagon.
“It’s a long-term project and something that our passionate Cupra tribe has definitely been pushing forward – so it will be great to bring this car along.”
“The next new hero is the Cupra Terramar and it takes us into a new segment with a 4.6-metre SUV. It is a size segment we have not been in before and a great opportunity for the Cupra brand to continue to grow.
“I think you can see why we need to increase our footprint because we need to support the opportunities for all the new cars,” added Mr Wilks.
The brand had previously stated that it aims to sell 7,000 cars in 2025 – a significant increase over previous sales figures. In the first six months of 2024, Cupra sold only 1,150 units.
Mr Wilks said the company was still keeping this as a flexible target, but Sven Schuwirth, Cupra’s executive vice president of sales and marketing, said market realities could mean the figure needs to be revised downwards.
“No, we will certainly adjust that. The general environment that currently prevails in the Australian market is a bit difficult at the moment,” he said.
“And we have to remain flexible. That is a core recipe for Cupra’s success. It’s a buzzword, but we are quite agile and flexible. In terms of product offering alone – BEV, plug-in hybrid, mild hybrid, ICE – we have everything at the moment, but it’s also about how we approach the market.
“It’s not just the Chinese brands and the competition that are causing us problems, but also the government subsidies and tax regulations. We live in a very unclear environment, but that has also made us even stronger.”
“Remember, we launched this brand during COVID, then we had a shortage of semiconductors and there are wars in Europe – one in Ukraine, one in Israel – so it’s a different story.
“We have logistics issues, we have energy issues, and I think that will continue, and that brings us back to the realization that we as an organization, including our largest national distribution companies, need to remain flexible, but still have a goal in mind.”
To boost sales and improve value for customers, the brand has expanded the local range with a number of attractive options, including affordable Tribe Edition versions of the Leon hatchback and Formentor plug-in hybrid SUV, while the new base Ateca V model is available from $49,888.
Cupra is also expected to be more aggressive with the launch of its all-new Tavascan electric crossover coupe. The starting price for the base Endurance model is expected to be around $70,000, with the all-wheel-drive VZ variant set to cost around 10 percent more.