They said it couldn’t be done. At the start of 2018, when Barcelona‑based SEAT launched its CUPRA brand for a new generation of sports cars, the world’s automotive press gave the venture little chance of success. This was the time of peak hype over autonomous vehicles and shared mobility — with talk even of the potential end of car ownership. What was SEAT doing investing in high-performance race cars?
Two years on and CUPRA has exceeded all expectations — and in the process vindicated its backers and proved that for a select part of the market the sheer passion for driving is as powerful an incentive as it has ever been.
“There were a lot of naysayers at the time who gave us less than a 50% chance,” says Wayne Griffiths, the Chairman & CEO of CUPRA and SEAT’s vice-president for sales and marketing.
“Our numbers and the way that we have grown our brand have proved all our critics wrong.”
In 2019, just its second full year of operation, CUPRA sales increased by more than 70% to nearly 25,000 cars. This year the brand has added two new sports cars to its line-up: the Formentor and the CUPRA Leon, which will both be available as plug-in hybrids. In an automotive market in transition, CUPRA — with new cutting-edge headquarters in Barcelona, an ambitious €5.3 million investment plan for electric racing and a passionate workforce of over 200 employees — is becoming the aspirational brand of choice for a new generation of drivers who love performance cars. “In the beginning there were only a few believers in CUPRA,” says Griffiths, “but we have shown that a handful of talented and dedicated people can turn a dream into reality.” The brand is aiming for a turnover of one billion euros when its full range is available.
What part of the market is CUPRA reaching?
CUPRA is a brand for young people which is winning new customers from outside the group. It is a brand for people who are prepared to try something different and who don’t have to prove themselves with traditional premium symbols. They value sophistication and design. They love performance and they love driving.
How vindicated do you feel by the success of CUPRA?
When we launched CUPRA, some people said that we were mad. There are still doubters out there, but now they acknowledge that we have a chance. I like that. I don’t like things that are easy. When life is easy it can be boring, and I don’t want to do boring things.
“The CUPRA tribe is building a contemporary vision of shortness. We are reinventing the sports car for people who love performance and driving.”
Wayne Griffiths Chairman & CEO, CUPRA
How will CUPRA add to its line-up in 2020?
Our models are all drivers’ cars. To serve our market we need to make authentic and compelling vehicles. The CUPRA Ateca was a great first step. The new CUPRA Leon is the sportiest, best-designed Leon ever, the King of Leons. The Formentor is going to be sensational. I’ve already driven it and it’s a wonderful drive, with all the DNA and spirit of the CUPRA brand. They are all special cars for special people.
What do you think is the key to CUPRA’s success?
Launching a new brand is always risky, but this is the moment to do it because the car industry is being disrupted. Everything is changing and everything is set back to zero. Electrification creates opportunities for us to do things differently.
I want CUPRA to be the fastest mover in the market and to get there first. We are not afraid of anything
As published in TIME magazine
