Sometimes it pays to be bold. Five years ago, when a small group of true believers in Barcelona committed to create a high-performance sports car brand, few people gave the venture much of a chance. At a time when hype about self-driving cars and mobility services was at its most intense, the industry seemed to have lost confidence in the enthusiasm and passion that driving a fast car can generate.
Fast forward to 2023 and CUPRA has outperformed all expectations, and become Europe’s fastest-growing automotive brand. CUPRA sold more than 150,000 cars last year, almost double 2021’s sales level. Since its creation in 2018, the brand has sold nearly 300,000 vehicles.
For Jorge Diez, head of design from the early days, there was never a shadow of doubt that CUPRA would be a success.
“We were given every possibility to make something special,” says Diez. “Boldness is the key to our story. It has allowed us to take risks and create something new and exciting.”
“Electric vehicles don’t have to be boring, and the CUPRA Born is proof of that. When people see it on the street, they’ll want to drive it”
Jorge Diez, head of design, CUPRA
The conviction of Diez and other members of the brand’s management team has inspired the provocative designs and eye-catching visuals of every CUPRA model. Alongside a best-in-class performance and driving experience, the assured and dynamic exterior of the award-winning Formentor has helped turn the coupé SUV into CUPRA’s best-selling vehicle in Europe and beyond.
“We focus on what people want from their cars,” says Diez. “Drivers can often feel invisible. When they are in a CUPRA, they know that people are looking at them. We want every CUPRA car to have its own unique personality.”
For Diez, CUPRA drivers are defined above all by their determination and strength of character, something he might even say about the cars themselves.
“A CUPRA fights for what it wants,” he says. “CUPRA is unconventional and does not take no for an answer. That is the CUPRA attitude.”
The design head is relishing the challenge of maintaining the unique CUPRA personality in the age of the electric car. The all-electric hatchback CUPRA Born is already the brand’s second most popular model, with flowing surfaces and strong lines full of energy and individuality. In 2024, it will be joined by the CUPRA Tavascan, the brand’s first all-electric sporty SUV.
Diez’s mission in the world of electric vehicles is to design cars that combine sustainability and performance with a powerful personality, while preserving all the emotions and excitement of driving. CUPRA’s high-performance electric cars are about much more than moving from A to B. They allow drivers to express their identity and make a statement about who they are and what they want.
In 2025, CUPRA will launch its long-awaited UrbanRebel, an urban electric car that will speak to a new generation and help make electric vehicles attractive, accessible and cool to drive.
“The UrbanRebel is designed for people who love to drive, not for people who just want to get around town,” says Diez. “Like everything we do, it is driven by emotion. As designers, we put our heart into our cars, and we get very emotional when we create a thing of beauty.
CUPRAs are works of art. They are alive. We want you to fall in love with our cars.”
As published in TIME magazine
