Seemingly out of nowhere, Volkswagen decided to bring one of its European brands to America. But instead of granting a US visa to the better-known Skoda or SEAT marques, the higher-ups chose the newcomer, Cupra. Cupra has been in the VW Group since 2018, but the name has been used for range-topping SEAT models since 1996. Even so, Cupra is still largely unknown in the US.
Cupra will land on US shores by the end of the decade. To make it happen, VW Group is currently negotiating with Penske Automotive to open 20 American showrooms. The company still hasn’t announced which cars will be sold here—beyond rumblings of a large crossover—but if Cupra wants to succeed in America, it needs cars, not SUVs.
Volkswagen already has most of the SUV market covered with models like the Atlas, Atlas Cross Sport, Taos, and Tiguan—most of which are new or updated. If VW suddenly gets the urge to bring even more crossovers to America, it has plenty to choose from: The T-Cross, T-Roc, Touareg, etc.
Introducing a brand to the hugely competitive US market to sell the umpteenth SUV doesn’t strike me as a recipe for success. Cupra needs to stand out by offering different products instead of reskinned VW crossovers. Otherwise, the brand will get lost in a sea of high-riding models that have far more familiar names people will prefer instead.
CEO Wayne Griffiths told Automotive News the Euro styling will be carried over, but will that be enough for Cupra to lure in buyers in an already crowded market? One of the models earmarked for the US will differ from what Cupra currently offers in Europe. It’ll be larger to suit American tastes, and the intent is to build it locally.
Another could come from Europe, where the brand sells seven models: The Born electric hatch, the Leon compact hatch and wagon, the Ateca and Formentor crossovers, the Tavascan electric compact crossover, and the bigger Terramar SUV. Later this year, the Raval small electric hatch, which will be twinned with the upcoming VW ID.2, will follow.
Considering the VW Golf is sold in the US strictly in the more expensive GTI and R flavors, Cupra could fill a void by selling a cheaper Leon with less peppy gas engines and thrifty plug-in hybrid powertrains. On the performance side, the Golf R wagon is also forbidden fruit here, so a Leon Sportstourer with a 328-horsepower engine would be nice.
Sure, a hot wagon would be a niche product, but one can dream, right?
Cupra has already backtracked from its original plan to sell only electric cars in the US, choosing instead a mix of gasoline, plug-in hybrid, and electric powertrains. Beyond the Cupra and SEAT models, the VW Group, with its main brand and Skoda, offers plenty of conventionally powered cars for people who haven’t been bitten by the SUV bug. Cupra has the potential to bring some of those forbidden fruits to America and lure in customers longing for the days when Ford used to sell the Fiesta or Focus.
Sales results for 2024 have reinforced that the US is more into big SUVs than any other region. However, some people will always prefer normal cars, and Cupra, through its parent company, can deliver that. Nearly 800,000 people bought a Camry, Civic, or a Corolla last year in the US, so clearly, there’s still potential for cars to succeed even in truck-loving America.
