Cupra started out life as a performance sub-brand of Volkswagen Group’s Spanish brand SEAT, but in 2018 Cupra was repostioned as a standalone brand offering its own range of sporty, emotional vehicles with striking design.
Cupra primarily operates in Europe but has already expanded to some international markets, including Mexico and other Latin American countries. In the future, the U.S. could be on Cupra’s list of international markets.
Speaking this week at the launch of Cupra in Australia, brand boss Wayne Griffiths said Cupra is considering launching in North America as part of its global expansion but is yet to make a decision, local publication Drive has reported.
“For now there is no decision being made on North America, but we’re starting to analyze [the market],” he was quoted as saying.
When asked whether Cupra is also considering adding China as a market, Griffiths reportedly said other VW Group brands like Volkswagen, Skoda and Audi are already strongly represented there and as a result Cupra isn’t focused on the Chinese market just yet, preferring North America, and in particular the U.S., instead.
“The Volkswagen Group has a quite a dominant share [in China] among its existing brands,” he was quoted as saying. “So to go to China? Not at the moment. We have more priority for the U.S.”
Like the rest of VW Group’s volume brands, Cupra relies on shared platforms for its vehicles. Most of its lineup consists of sporty crossovers, with individual models using underpinnings shared with popular VW vehicles like the Tiguan and ID.4. Cupra also continues to offer tuned versions of SEAT vehicles like the Ateca and Leon.