On February 22, 2018, SEAT announced the launch of CUPRA, a new sports car brand with its own identity. The announcement was made during an exclusive event at a special location in Terramar. The new firm took this opportunity to also reveal its first model, the CUPRA Ateca SUV.
CUPRA has always been SEAT’s ultimate expression of sportiness. Today, it finally stands as an entity of its own. Simply put, it is a new brand created to develop models alongside SEAT with the aim to grow independently. This means it will have a dedicated space at select dealerships across Europe.
CUPRA stands for uniqueness, sophistication and performance. #CreateThePath
CUPRA stands for uniqueness, sophistication and performance. It is a brand for those who choose to experience life on their own terms. For those who need to #CreateThePath. As Luca de Meo put it “The whole project surfaced as the dream of a group of people looking for a way to conquer a new group of car lovers”.
Digging deeper into the brand, it is built on four fundamental pillars. Garage, focusing on sportive street cars and exclusive accessories. Racing, the division that will look after competition cars. Lifestyle, for partnerships and collaborations. And Experiences, a community that will bring together future customers.
The new sports car brand’s logo brings together different elements from the different worlds of passion, craft, lifestyle and racing, making it a dynamic and fresh design that is unmistakably CUPRA. The logo is a symbol of the new brand bringing the future to drivers today, offering a contemporary vision of technology, style and functionality, all in one sleek sports car.
In terms of structure, CUPRA will be part of SEAT the same way as other wholly-owned companies, such as SEAT Metropolis: Lab Barcelona. Through this arrangement, the plan is to diversify business and develop successful new models in order to strengthen the company as a whole. Moreover, the new firm will take over the entire motorsport and racing division, an area that until now was handled by SEAT Sport.
Born and built with strong partnerships
In order to transmit its commitment to craft, passion, high-quality and individualisation, CUPRA has partnered with small studios and workshops, such as L.G.R., TRAKATAN and FABIKE to develop exclusive and limited-edition products. The new car firm is also collaborating with DAINESE, NINCO and other brands to support and share its passion for racing, technology and innovation.
The CUPRA Ateca is precision and sportiness combined with everyday life.
Overview of the CUPRA Ateca
As an SUV, the CUPRA Ateca is a unique model in its segment, no longer offered by premium brands only. With 300HP, 4Drive and a new 7-speed DSG gearbox, the new Ateca can go from 0 to 100km/h in only 5.4 seconds. That said, it brings a balance that not many models can claim: the precision and sportiness combined with ease of use for everyday life. Overall, the CUPRA Ateca SUV is an elegant and dynamic car with a spacious interior, including a large boot.
CUPRA, racing, and future projects
The CUPRA TCR will be the brand’s first racing car. It will officially compete in the TCR series in the 2018 season.
Furthermore, the brand has carried out design exercises on the CUPRA Ibiza and the CUPRA Arona. This helped showcase the potential of this exciting world. At this point, no new models have been confirmed yet as part of the range. Stay tuned for the next big reveal!