CUPRA plans more EVs

Spanish electrification, lifestyle and performance brand CUPRA (an acronym for Cup Racing) celebrates its fourth anniversary with an ambitious vision for 2022.

It intends to double its sales, turnover, and global network this year – including its global network of CUPRA Specialists and CUPRA City Garages, the company already having a presence in New Zealand (CUPRA NZ) and in Australia (CUPRA Australia).

CUPRA will launch two new models of its first EV the CUPRA Born with different battery capacities as well as a more powerful e-Boost version, following last year’s announcement the CUPRA Tavascan, the brand’s second EV, will come to the market in 2024, and an EV inspired by the UrbanRebel in 2025.

These will join the CUPRA Born EV arriving in the UK in April, as well as the already-launched Formentor PHEV, Leon PHEV, and petrol Ateca there.

It has also launched Metahype, a collaborative new platform in the metaverse, and a new virtual racing experience – the CUPRA2 Experience – combining real and virtual worlds, due to arrive later this year.

“Metahype is a collaborative space where brands, start-ups, and content creators can host a wide variety of events and experiences for individuals to create and share culture,” CUPRA chief executive Wayne Griffiths explains.

Brands and individuals will be able to showcase artistic material such as NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens), display digital and physical products, and stream content within Metahype, he says.

CUPRA will have its own hub within the platform, saying that virtual worlds allow brands the opportunity to create new, immersive experiences for existing and future customers.

Griffiths says its CUPRA X 2 vision for 2022 includes “the intention to double our sales, double our turnover and double our sales network”.

Launched in 2018, CUPRA has its corporate headquarters and a racing car workshop in Martorell (Barcelona), in addition to a global network of specialised points of sale.

CUPRA Racing, formerly known as SEAT Sport, is the high-performance motorsport subsidiary of the Spanish automobile manufacturer SEAT.