The Mediterranean city of Barcelona has long been a source of inspiration for artists, writers, architects and designers from all over the world. Today this dynamic and creative city is home to the European car industry’s fastest-growing brand: CUPRA.
When parent company SEAT, S.A. launched CUPRA in 2018, few people gave the upstart new business much of a chance. Four years later, CUPRA’s strikingly good-looking sports cars have exceeded all expectations. Combining high performance with contemporary design, CUPRAs are the wheels of choice for drivers looking for cars that are authentic, provocative and fun to drive. Revenue has grown from €430 million in 2018 to almost €2.2 billion in 2021, and is on track to double in 2022. The company aims to deliver around 500,000 cars every year before long.
The success of the brand has catapulted CUPRA’s executives into the first ranks of the European automotive industry. Of the two masterminds behind the launch of CUPRA, UK-born Wayne Griffiths is now president of SEAT, S.A. and Antonino Labate, to the brand’s chief strategist is recognized as one of the most creative people in Spanish industry.
“At CUPRA, we love what we do. We make people’s dreams come true.”
Antonino Labate, Global Director of Strategy, Business Development and Operations, CUPRA
Labate ascribes much of CUPRA’s success to the creation of what the company calls the CUPRA Tribe, a global community of true believers who share the brand’s passion for authenticity, for being brave and making bold statements.
“The people who believe in CUPRA and drive our cars have the same mindset and the same spirit,” says Labate. “They are audacious, they are rebellious, and they have a disruptive outlook on life.”
As the automotive industry accelerates towards the all-electric era, Labate is helping CUPRA preserve the brand values that make it unique. Last year the company launched its first fully electric car, the CUPRA Born, and by the end of the decade its line-up will be entirely electric. Labate’s job is to ensure that these electric cars are as attractive, sporty and exciting as the CUPRAs of today.
“We will never make boring cars,” he says. “We are a Mediterranean brand. We are all about emotion.”
In the next couple of years, new electric models will include the CUPRA Terramar and the CUPRA Tavascan. In 2025 the much anticipated CUPRA UrbanRebel will roll off the production line of a state-of-the art factory just outside Barcelona, which will be dedicated to making electric vehicles. Produced using 3D manufacturing technologies and bio-based materials, and with interior design more akin to video consoles than to traditional cars, the UrbanRebel will appeal to the values and aspirations of a new generation who are passionate about driving.
“The UrbanRebel is driven by emotion, designed and developed for a more rebellious electric world,” says Labate. “We believe that it will be a game changer and push the boundaries of what is achievable in an electric car.”
As published in TIME magazine.
