Seat’s Cupra Formentor-SUV to come out as PHEV

Now that the new Leon and Cupra Leon will also be available as plug-in hybrids, Seat is now presenting the series version of the first vehicle developed exclusively for the performance brand Cupra: the Cupra Formentor SUV now available as a PHEV. The part-time electric car should be launched before the end of this year.

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Since the Geneva Motor Show has been cancelled, Seat and Cupra have presented the part-time electric cars via web video conference. The PHEV version of the SUV is said to have an electric WLTP range of up to 60 kilometres. The Spanish company has given the plug-in hybrid system output of 180 kW. As yet relatively few details have been released. Both engine versions of the model will be launched in the second half of the year. For the premium brand Cupra, which has been in existence for a good two years and recently moved its headquarters to Martorell in Spain, the Formentor is the first vehicle created in-house. The Spanish company already presented a pre-series model of the SUV in Geneva last year.

According to Cupra, the appearance is a symbiosis of high-performance SUV and sports coupé. The athletic design manifests itself above all in the form of a rear spoiler, 19-inch light-alloy wheels with wide tyres and a diffuser with four tailpipes integrated into the bumper. Inside, the Seat brand has integrated, among other things, a digital cockpit with a 12-inch touchscreen and a multifunctional sports steering wheel.

Meanwhile, production of the new Seat Leon has already started at the main plant in Martorell. This will be joined by the Cupra Leon and Cupra Formentor towards the middle of the year. In addition to the three plug-in hybrids produced in Martorell, the six battery-electric models promised by Seat by next year include the Tarraco PHEV and the purely battery-electric models Mii electric and el-Born.

“The message is clear: 2019 was the best year in our history. We were the fastest-growing volume brand in Europe, achieving double-digit growth for the third consecutive year, in a context of declining markets,” says Seat CEO Carsten Isensee. “We began 2020 on an upward trend, and although it will be a more challenging year, we are paving the way for the future”.

Update 5 February 2021: Now the Cupra Formentor is also available to order in the UK as a plug-in hybrid. The PHEV SUV offers a system output of 180 kW and a 12.8 kWh battery. For the purely electric range, the outdated NEDC value is still used and marks 58 kilometres. List prices for the model called the Cupra Formentor e-Hybrid start at £38,625.

seat-mediacenter.com, electriccarsreport.com (update=