Cupra registers first Australian delivery, customer’s car will arrive this month

Cupra officially named on the board of directors in Australia.

The Spanish sports brand, part of the Volkswagen Group, recorded 49 deliveries in July 2022.

The brand has confirmed that those vehicles are all internally registered, for media and staff training, with customer deliveries set to starting in August. Of those cars, 26 are Formentor13 is Leonand 10 is Ateca.

Cupra said CarExpert there are between 200 and 300 confirmed orders across the three model lines already in Australia.

Formentor accounted for most of the customer’s attention, the rest was divided relatively evenly between Leon and Ateca at launch.

Newcomer buyers mostly choose high-spec cars with a wide range of equipment options, including a heroic matte paint finish.

Any new orders placed online from now on will be MY23 vehicles. The details of what has changed and how much the cars cost, here.

According to Cupra Australia director, Ben Wilks, almost half of buyers are using Cupra financing on their orders.

The brand is hitting the market with guaranteed futures value (GFV) rentals locally, providing buyers with a level of protection from poor resale value should it fail in Australia.

Cupra is confident, however, that it will quickly find its footing locally. Mr Shafer said the brand had “strong production and support from the factory”, and global boss Wayne Griffiths last month confirmed he was targeting 7,000 sales a year in Australia by 2025.

That figure would put the Cupra on a par with rivals such as Renault and Land Rover based on current sales.

Mr. Griffiths said it’s not just about sales, Cupra also focuses on branding.

“The measure of success for me won’t be how many cars [Cupra] sell, or whatever,” Cupra boss Wayne Griffiths told Australian media.

“It’s about whether we really impress the brand, with the target group. For young, next-generation car buyers – whether they think Cupra is a desirable brand or not. “

That 7,000-vehicle target depends on growing demand for electric vehicles in Australia, where the technology is still evolving, said Griffiths. The product’s “second attack” (details here) is also the key.

Mr Griffiths said: “If we want to get to that level, let’s say the electricity market is going to grow in Australia, because without that we wouldn’t have a basis.

Australia is being seen as an important market for the Cupra brand, which has bold global expansion plans.

Launched in Europe as a spin-off of the Seat brand, it wants to sell 500,000 vehicles per year worldwide in the medium term.

Stay tuned for Cupra Formentor VZ/VZe, Ateca VZx and Leon VZx reviews on August 18.