The light and sound show of this presentation would probably have been suitable for the upcoming song contest. But not in Malmö, but in Madrid, Cupra presented two newly released hits from what has now become a wide-ranging playlist this week. The “remix” from Formentor and Leon opens a model offensive with which the Spanish VW subsidiary wants to climb further up the sales charts this year.
To design or not to design – this was the question that Cupra boss Wayne Griffiths asked at the beginning of the bombastic presentation in front of around 500 eye and ear witnesses in the spectacular inner courtyard of the Palacio Cibeles. “We don’t copy anyone, we don’t want to please everyone. We can do anything but be boring,” said the Englishman, who has pioneered a new (form) language at the VW subsidiary, and not just in terms of design .
Image: OÖN/Cupra
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Image: OÖN/Cupra
The Cupra crew’s “you word” practiced within the company and its sneaker-jean-T-shirt look are also trademarks of the Spaniards, which, not coincidentally, have become particularly popular with younger customers. The average age of Cupra owners is around 40 years, so most of the competitors look quite old in comparison.
After the facelift, Formentor and Leon appear quite young and cheeky. The front section of both models looks more dynamic with the new shark snout (in Cupra English: shark nose), the light bar at the rear with the Cupra logo in the middle is a bit “bling-bling”, but original.
When it comes to the range of engines, the Spaniards are pragmatic and, according to the motto “You wish, we play”, serve everything from the 150 hp diesel to plug-in variants with around 100 electric kilometers in the battery up to the 333 hp power pack. The top athletes in the model family make an impression, but not volume. In Austria, “thanks” to the NoVA penalty for high-horsepower cars, the proportion of the most powerful variants will not reach five percent.