Cupra to ‘take lead’ over Seat on EVS
CUPRA WILL TAKE the lead over sibling brand Seat in introducing electric vehicles, because the high cost of such cars doesn’t currently fit with Seat’s market position.
The Cupra brand became a separate entity two years ago, with a ‘premium performance’ position to attract more affluent customers than the youth-oriented Seat.
The Formentor crossover, Cupra’s first bespoke vehicle, will go on sale in the UK later this month and gain a plug-in hybrid powertrain early next year. That will be followed by the Meb-based Cupra El-born electric hatchback, which was first shown in concept form as a Seat.
Asked about plans for Meb-based EVS from the two brands, Wayne Griffiths, who has headed the Cupra brand since launch and was recently named the new president of Seat, said: “Both brands can play a role but, at the moment, Cupra is taking the lead on battery-electric vehicles.”
The Seat Mii Electric city car recently sold out, but Griffiths hinted that the next Seat EV could be some time off.
“We have one company with two brands and each brand has clear positioning and objectives,” he said. “Seat is the entry brand for the VW Group and, at the moment, I don’t think an entry position fits with electric mobility.
It’s a real challenge to make profitable cars in the electric segment and it’s easier to do with a higher-position brand.”
The Volkswagen Group is working on a modified MEB platform to underpin an entrylevel EV, known internally as the ID First. Seat initially led development of that project, but it has now shifted elsewhere in the group. However, Griffiths said the firm will still play “a key role” in developing a small EV.