Cupra wants to launch in the US

Cupra is looking to come to the US by 2030. The company is exploring a partnership with Penske Automotive Group, a prominent automotive retailer, to set up its sales network in the new market.

Image: Cupra

The Seat brand has initiated early talks with Penske Automotive Group to establish its US dealerships. Despite being a standalone brand for just six years, Cupra is determined to become a truly global player, and it sees the US launch as a pivotal milestone in this ambitious journey.

Understanding it requires a robust distribution and retail strategy to succeed in the US, Cupra sees Penske Automotive Group, one of the largest automotive dealer chains in the country, as the ideal choice. The company already works with Volkswagen, Audi, Porsche, and Bentley dealerships in the US, and Cupra finds that experience with Volkswagen Group brands a solid foundation.

“Penske Automotive Group’s leadership in the industry and experience with the Volkswagen Group make this a very promising potential partnership,” said Wayne Griffiths, the CEO of Cupra and its parent company Seat.

Cupra sells four ICE models, namely Ateca, Leon (including Leon Sportstourer), Formentor, and Terramar, and offers a plug-in hybrid option for all except the Ateca. The company also sells two battery-electric cars – Born and Tavascan, and it plans to launch the Ravan small SUV as the third zero-emission model in 2025. In the US, the Spanish automaker will initially sell a pure electric variant of the Formentor and a bigger electric crossover SUV.

Griffiths announced these EVs at Seat’s 2024 Annual Media Conference:
“Today, I am confirming that Cupra will enter the US market by the end of this decade. We know it’s always been a matter of being well-prepared and doing it right if we go to the US. So, after testing the brand, we know our cars will reflect what customers are looking for in the United States. We plan to enter initially with two fully electric models – a battery-electric version of the Fomentor and a bigger electric crossover SUV.”

Cupra plans to build the bigger electric SUV in the US at a Volkswagen factory in Mexico, possibly the one in Sanctorum (Puebla). “We want to leverage synergies within the Brand Group Core by producing this crossover SUV in Volkswagen factories in the North American region, including Mexico,” Griffith added. Initially, the company plans to offer its cars in the US only in select states that resonate with its core values.

seat-mediacenter.com, youtube.com (Annual Media Conference)