Cupra goes medium SUV mad

Cupra Australia will be in the unique position of offering up to four medium SUVs in its line-up next year, all of which will have five seats and measure within 300mm of each other.

The Spanish performance brand will start 2025 with the existing Formentor coupe-SUV, Ateca and box-fresh Tavascan EV in showrooms before the heavily updated Formentor arrives in Q2.

The all-new Terramar will follow in Q3, providing Aussies with the richest medium SUV line-up on the market.

It won’t be that way forever though seeing as the Ateca is headed for retirement sometime after 2025 with no direct replacement on the cards.

That will leave only the Born and Leon hatches as the only non-SUV models in the portfolio, let alone the only compact and passenger models.

But considering the brand is on course to sell about 2150 cars in Australia this year, isn’t four medium SUVs overkill?

“I think we have a good range that offers different choices and different flavours in that SUV space,” Cupra Australia product and marketing boss Jeff Shafer told carsales at the recent media launch of the Ateca V.

“Formentor is definitely a crossover SUV that is style-driven and performance-driven.

“It’s a really distinct model in the way it looks and the way it drives.

“Ateca is a really straight-forward straight-shooting what you see is what you get medium SUV.

“Terramar will be a bit larger, it’s going to be a bit more in the heart of the SUV segment. It will go against a slightly bigger competitive set.

“Tavascan and Terramar sit together nicely. It’s really, in those two, a difference between ‘I’m ready to full-electric or do I want to take half-a-step into plug-in hybrids, or I’m looking to be in a mild hybrid or a petrol’.”

The Ateca V is essentially a run-out special, with a 140kW/320Nm 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine, all-wheel drive and an introductory $49,888 drive-away price that will be reviewed in the new year.

It’s one of just two variants in the Ateca range along with the $63,490, 221kW VZX.

With the arrival of the V, the Ateca is now the cheapest SUV in the Cupra local line-up, and at 4381mm long, it’s also the shortest – but even the longest of Cupra’s medium SUVs, the Tavascan, is still only 4644mm long.

The brand also seems to have an aversion to three-row SUVs.

Even the large electric SUV intended to break the VW-owned brand into the North American market later this decade will only be a five-seater.

“The discussion around the US entry is around the end of the decade,” Shafer said.

“So there is a quite a bit of work to be done, but it’s a great car for us to add to the range and something for us to definitely look forward to.”

As well as the various new and updated SUVs, Cupra Australia will also add a higher performance Born VZ, an updated Leon hatch and new Leon Sportstourer to its range in 2025.

The Raval electric supermini is expected in 2026.

Like the new and updated SUVs, the Leons will come with a variety of turbo-petrol, mild hybrid and plug-in hybrid powertrains.

“We are not just expanding the SUV range,” Shafer said. “We’ve got Leon and Born in hatchbacks and we have Leon Sportstourer coming in the wagon.

“It’s not just about being strong in SUVs … it’s about giving people choice.”

The 2025 portfolio expansion and new models have Cupra expecting a sales turnaround, counteracting this year’s 36.3 per cent slide.

A rental car deal with Europcar helped boost Cupra’s numbers last year, but the brand has still backed away from the bullish early sales forecasts made by Griffiths.

“We are still looking to grow, and growth is part of the picture, but we are looking to set up the brand for long-term success,” Shafer said.

“We want to build the brand in a way that’s not just about a short-term result.

“That’s about building the vehicle range and the network and making sure the brand is resonating with Australians.”

Six new Cupra outlets will be opened between now and the end of 2025 to help support the flurry of new model activity while the number of service points are expected to grow to 25 through the network, plus a further 15 planned remote points.

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