Penske Could Bring Spain’s Cupra Brand To The U.S.

Renault CEO Luca de Meo will only have himself to blame if Spain’s Cupra brand makes it to U.S. auto showrooms before Renault does.

After all, it was de Meo who, as head of the Volkswagen Group’s Spanish offshoot, created Cupra in 2018, turning the perennial loss-making Seat brand into a profitable part of the group – largely on the back of Cupra.

Now the Cupra brand is in talks with the Penske Automotive Group to enter the U.S. market by the end of the decade, with Cupra’s former German Managing Director already appointed as Cupra USA Managing Director.

Cupra sold just under 250,000 cars last year from a standing start of zero in 2017, and that covers combustion, plug-in hybrid and BEV powertrains.

The brand grew from being a performance offshoot of Seat (its name is short for “Cup Racing”) to the point where de Meo launched it as a stand-alone, more-premium brand with its own products, starting with the sporty crossover Formentor.

It grew out of its European base with launches in Mexico and Turkey, as well as launching in Australia in 2022, servicing both left- and right-hand drive markets.

“CUPRA’s ambition is to be a truly global brand and expanding into the United States represents one of the greatest milestones on our journey,” CEO Wayne Griffiths said today.

“We have great respect for the U.S. market, recognizing that a strong distribution and retail strategy is essential for success.

“By entering into preliminary discussions with Penske Automotive Group, we are exploring opportunities with the best possible partner, one with the right distribution network to introduce CUPRA to a new generation of American car lovers,” he said.

Griffiths was Seat’s Sales and Marketing head during the introduction of the Cupra brand, and is heavily invested in its success.

Cupra sells the Tavascan electric C-segment SUV, the Terramar C-segment SUV, the Formentor, the Born EV (based off the Volkswagen ID.3) and other Seat-based models like the Leon (Golf-based passenger car) and the Ateca (compact SUV).

Its next all-new model will be the Raval, an urban-focused EV.