Cupra weighs a Leon sports wagon for Australia

The Volkswagen Group may soon get its hands on a trio of compact performance wagons.

Australian Cupra Head of Product and Planning, Jeff Shafer, says auto expert that the local department is evaluating Leon Sportstourer for the Australian market, this will strengthen the existing Leon hatchback lineup. However, he has stopped giving any indication of the timeframe.

“Look, I love Sportstourer,” said Mr Shafer, “it’s something we wanted and it’s being looked at. [for our market]. We’re definitely taking a hard look at it.

Mr. Shafer added: “It was important for us to establish the foundation with the core models last year (Formentor, Leon and Ateca), but the Sportstourer is certainly an exciting product.

When asked what Leon Sportstourer’s squad would look like if it went to Australia, Mr Shafer said the likely outcome was a more focused range; hints at the 228kW 4Drive global flagship as well as the 180kW e-Hybrid we saw in the VZe badging Leon hatch and Formentor cross pattern.

“I think we will be quite focused when it comes to Sportstourer, maybe in the higher end segment,” said Mr. Shafer.

“So the top end (228kW 4Drive) is a bit different from the all-wheel drive hatchback and the plug-in hybrid is also interesting.”

Other powertrain variants in the global portfolio include the 1.5 TSI FWD 110kW/250Nm, 2.0 TSI FWD 140kW/320Nm 180kW/380Nm 2.0 TSI FWD, 221kW/400Nm 2.0 TSI FWD, as well as an e-Hybrid 150kW 1.4 TSI has been tuned.

It’s worth noting that the Leon Sportstourer is already on sale across Tasman, with New Zealand customers being offered a choice of the 1.5 TSI 110kW and 228kW 2.0 TSI 4Drive versions. The UK market (also RHD) offers all of the above except the 150kW PHEV.

Like the Leon hatch, the Sportstourer is based on the Volkswagen Group’s MQB Evo platform, which means it shares DNA with the latest Skoda Octavia And volkswagen golf course Chariots – among other small cars and crossovers.

The 228kW 2.0 TSI 4Drive engine will be a worthy competitor to the 235kW/420Nm VW Golf R Wagon with almost no natural rival in Australia, while the 180kW 1.4 TSI e-Hybrid engine can replace the plug Skoda Octavia RS iV in hybrid which we didn’t get in Australia.

In top form, the Cupra Leon Sportstourer can accelerate from 0-100 in 4.9 seconds, before reaching a announced top speed of 250 km/h.

Meanwhile, the PHEV manages a 7.0-second sprint time to triple the numbers and a top speed of 225 km/h. Furthermore, it will use at least 1.3-1.5 liters per 100 km on the combined cycle and travel 54-59 km on electric power according to WLTP figures.

These days, mainstream-branded scooters are becoming more and more rare, with only a handful of manufacturers offering this type of bodywork.

Skoda and Volkswagen are the main players from Europe, where cars still hold a decent (if still waning) market share, while Subaru remote areas crossover wagon continues to defy trends by becoming one of the most popular vehicles in the VFACTS large SUV segment. The VW Passat Alltrack are also still sold in Australia.

Ford and Hyundai have a history of offering wagon versions of the Concentrate And i30though both haven’t been on the market here for a while and Volkswagen has also killed off the smaller cars Golf Alltrack with the Mk8 generation.

Suitable players include Peugeot 308 SW And Subaru WRX Sports Caras Mazda6. Premium brands such as Audi and BMW still offer mid-size wagons, which were once staples in their respective product lines, while Mercedes-Benz has phased out its Estate models locally. method to focus on the more popular and profitable SUV line.

So far in 2023, Cupra has delivered 808 units by the end of March in its first year in the Australian market. The Spanish upstart had 1111 signups last year after only launching in August.

Leading the way is the Formentor, the brand’s best-selling product globally, with 690 units delivered as of March 31. It’s almost doubled from Ateca and the combined Leon series in terms of local mass.

Since the beginning of the year (YTD), Formentor has surpassed famous European nameplates including Skoda Karoq (441 units) and peugeot 3008 (158 units), as well as about to be discontinued Ford Escape (474 units). However, these vehicles are subject to ongoing supply issues.

The Leon hasn’t enjoyed the same success as its crossover sibling, but it now owns 2.2% of the Small Passenger over $40,000 (99 units) segment. Adding Sportstourer will likely increase that market share, if only slightly.

Would you like a Leon Sportstourer if it came to Australia? Leave us a comment below!

THAN: Everything Cupra Leon