Design obsession or We broke stereotypes at the pompous Cupra party in Madrid

Center of Madrid. Galería de Cristal. It was here, in a gallery with impressive glass walls and ceilings, that the global premiere of two Cupra models, Formentor and Leon, took place at the end of April. Join us for one of the most stylish presentations ever!

The first time you take a look at the Galería de Cristal, which originally served as the headquarters of the post office and telegraph, a strange chill will run through your body. But today it is much more vigorous, stronger. Primarily thanks to the sophisticated decoration and the luminous futuristic guise that Cupra prepared today. Before entering the lighted premises of the building, novelties of an unconventional brand line the path. For example, sustainable jewelry from the Barcelona brand MAM, which joins the Cupra design family. Especially its rings made of ruthenium and copper, incidentally materials that play a significant role in dozens of Cupra cars, look perfect.

The second attraction is a collection of clothes with atypically chosen colors. However, it looks minimalistic, and the individual pieces are always artfully supplemented with the brand’s logo. They also win us over with the quality of the materials. This is not the obligatory merchandise of a number of competing car companies, but a full-fledged clothing brand, with which you will not embarrass yourself at such a presentation. After all, Cupra has announced the genesis of an independent design house, which will not only be responsible for the brand’s goods, but will also serve as a platform for other companies that choose a similarly unconventional and exciting path.

The modernist interior, which combines elements of glass, metal and stone, complements the ocean of visual effects dominated by a violet hue. In short, the place has (as they say nicely in Czech) a “vibe”. After all, in 2017, the famous Real Madrid celebrated their triumph in the soccer Champions League with their fans – led by Cristiano Ronaldo in the form of his life. Galería de Cristal is also considered a popular fashion week retreat. Even today, a large group of eccentric personalities have gathered here, whose common denominator is a feeling for aesthetics, the dismantling of fashion taboos and the absence of blandness. Which is a refreshing shift compared to other world car premieres, where gray often means the norm. Cupra deserves a lot of credit for that too, as she turned the rudder of the mindset and broke through the barrier of conformity.

The official show, which is watched by 500 people and 1000 eyes, is in the same spirit. All glued to the screens, on which the nine visionary visions of the brand are projected in the style of a fashion show. Of course, there is a mention of the design house Cupra or a giant sign with the sentence: “We create cars that not everyone likes, but some people love them.” And then, to solid applause from the stands, they arrive. First the brand’s bestseller – the new Formentor with a nose-inspired shark nose and Matrix LED headlights with a triangle motif and an illuminated Cupra logo on the rear. Pure beauty!

In a little while it is followed, to the same applause, by the Cupra Leon model. This is stated by Wayne Griffiths, Cupra’s chairman of the board, as follows. “Leon brings together the key elements that every car of our brand must have, i.e. design, sports performance and dynamics.” And he continues. “The new Leon enters the future with a new generation of drives and a more environmentally conscious approach to sports performance.” The engine range includes a new generation of plug-in hybrid technology, which provides a maximum output of up to 200 kW and provides a range of more than 100 km purely on electricity.

However, the event is far from over. After thoroughly combing the interiors made of recycled materials and admiring the distinctive exteriors of both models, we move on to the other benefits of the event. One of them is an excellent progressive musical accompaniment, at times seriously reminiscent of Berlin’s techno scene, which was included in the UNESCO cultural heritage list this year. Waiters quickly weave between the waving visitors, serving phenomenal finger food on silver trays. From fantastic foie gras to tasty cones with red caviar to mini burgers with cod gently covered in Béarn sauce.

Cupra Design Obsession is full of well-known ambassadors and influencers, even if the global face of the brand did not arrive in the end. On the same day, goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen defended the sanctuary of Barcelona against Valencia. And successfully. Barça wins 4:2, the global static premiere of the new Formentor and Leon models has just been successful in Madrid. The German representative thus “picked up” a successful day. Remarkably, a weakness for Cupra is common among soccer goalkeepers. In Australia, Andrew Redmayne, goalkeeper of FC Sydney, is the face of the brand. Not even the Czech Republic was spared this passion. “I really like the design of the Cupra. My colleague Jiří Ciupa even bought it,” says Karviná goalkeeper Dominik Holec, who in the past played for Sparta Prague, for example.

It wouldn’t be a Cupra if it didn’t prepare something extra. They usually drive you from the party to the hotel. Here they chose a different route. Transfer to the next party. This time to the Cupra City Garage, which is also located in the Spanish capital. However, it is normal for Cupra to go headfirst into abnormal things.

It’s as if she has idiosyncrasy, reasonable audacity, provocation, obsession with style encoded in her DNA. Sure. There are a bunch of those for whom her cars are simply “too much”. However, more and more of those who adore her are breathing. As evidenced by the fact that it has sold almost 600,000 vehicles since 2018. And as we witnessed throughout the night, he is definitely not going to slow down…