Electric Cupra Formentor and larger SUV due later this decade, confirmed for Australia

Spanish car brand Cupra has announced it will introduce an electric successor to the Formentor SUV and a larger electric SUV, as it looks to enter the United States market later this decade.

Cupra CEO Wayne Griffiths confirmed these two models will be added to the brand's global portfolio and will eventually be sold in Australia – rather than being limited to the North American market.

The upcoming Cupra Formentor EV – which will replace the current internal-combustion model launched in 2020 – is expected to be one of Cupra’s first models based on the Volkswagen Group’s new, electric-only Scalable Systems Platform.

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The Scalable Systems Platform – set to debut in 2026 in an upcoming Audi – will replace the Volkswagen Group’s current MEB and PPE dedicated electric-car architectures.

Currently, the rear-drive Cupra Born and Tavascan EVs are based on the MEB platform, while the front-drive Raval electric city car due in 2025 will be based on the updated MEB+ platform.

“I’m confirming today that Cupra will enter the US market by the end of the decade,” said Griffiths at the brand’s 2024 annual media conference.

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“We know it’s always been a matter of being well prepared and doing it right. After testing the brand, we know our cars will reflect what customers are looking for in the US.

“We plan to enter initially with two electric models – a battery-electric version of the Formentor and a bigger electric crossover SUV.”

Griffiths told Australian media, including Wheels, the large electric SUV would be sold in other markets – such as Australia and Europe.

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“You would need a global volume. The idea would be to build one of the cars that we want to sell in the US in the North American region,” he said.

"That's important for feasibility and for the business case, particularly with the Inflation Regulation Act… and the incentive for local production that makes it essential.

“I think if you want to sell cars in the US, you need to build – not all of them – but some of them in the US. Definitely the bigger SUV we're looking at for the US will also be sold globally in Europe and Australia."

Griffiths said the larger electric SUV would be “really big” – but it won’t be a traditional three-row family hauler to rival the likes of the Toyota Kluger.

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"I don’t think Cupra is a brand for a family car, so I don't think it's going to have seven seats, but it's going to be big and it is big.

"We have the design models already ready. It's a very impressive car in terms of design, not a classic SUV crossover.

“[It will be] sporty in line with what Cupra’s all about. But it’s really big for Europe and I think it's big enough for the US.”

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“Cupra will launch in selected states where we are sure we can find customers that are linked to the Cupra brand – mainly in the east and west coasts and Sun Belt states [like Arizona, Colorado and Texas]. This will be done through a new distribution model,” said Griffiths.

Cupra will be the second new Volkswagen Group brand to enter the United States market later this decade, with plans well underway to re-launch Scout with all-electric off-roaders around 2026.

The Group currently sells vehicles from the Volkswagen, Audi, Porsche, Bentley and Lamborghini brands in the United States.