The stylish Cupra Formentor arrived on the car market in 2020 with a wide range of petrol, diesel and plug-in hybrid engines. While up to that time the young Spanish carmaker had profiled itself as a creator of sharper rebranded seats, the Formentor was its first unique product. And extremely successful.
We noticed this immediately on our Czech travels. Four years ago, the concern was dealing with crises of all kinds, which meant that the popular Octavia and Golf cars were simply not in stock. However, Formentor represented a great unlooked-for alternative, and above all, it was available immediately and for interesting money. That’s also why so many of them started driving here shortly after their debut.
However, the commercial successes are not limited to the Czech market, and what’s more, the popularity of the predatory Spaniard is constantly growing. After all, in 2023, 120,000 people worldwide purchased it, which means a year-on-year growth of no less than twenty-three percent.
Photo: Lukáš Volšicky
The highlight of the Formentor is the successful limited edition VZ5 with five-cylinder Audi.
But what will be his immediate future? After four years, the ideal time comes for a thorough facelift. It can be assumed that Formentor will change its face slightly, innovate technology, but will still offer classic combustion engines. After all, its technical basis is also predestined for this – the MQB concern platform, which it already shares with Golf et al.
Photo: Cupra
The modernized Formentor will probably adopt a new light signature modeled after the electric Tavascan, don’t expect more radical design changes.
However, brand boss Wayne Griffiths at Seat’s annual conference also mentioned a full-fledged successor, i.e. a new generation of the model, for the first time. It is due to arrive at the end of this decade, and the Spanish brand has only officially confirmed that it will come with an electric drive. Will internal combustion engines remain at least as an alternative? Who knows.
Photo: Cupra
The electric direction of the Cupra hints at the SUV-coupe Tavascan.
The new Formentor should be based on the SSP platform, which the Volkswagen Group is developing as a modern successor to the MEB and PPE architectures. Cupra believes in further sales success not only here, but especially in the new market in the United States, where it announced its entry just a few days ago. In addition to Formentor, on the east and west coasts – where there is interest in electric cars – he wants to offer a completely new and so far the largest electric SUV.
Photo: Cupra
Cupra is preparing a new large SUV with electric drive.
“At least one of these models has a reasonable assumption that it will be manufactured directly in the USA. If we want to create a profitable project, we need to reach a certain volume, so in terms of the desired success it is ideal to produce directly in the region,” said Griffiths, whose brand could use some of the existing VW factories.
He did not reveal which model it would be, but we know from before that he would prefer to build the new Formentor at home in Martorello, Spain.
