BARCELONA (dpa-AFX) – The Spanish Volkswagen subsidiary Seat is planning to enter the USA with the Cupra brand. “Cupra will enter the US market by the end of the decade,” Seat and Cupra boss Wayne Griffiths announced on Thursday. “A strong brand must be global.” They also want to open up a growth market for the Seat branch founded in 2018, which is currently only active in Europe. Germany will remain the most important market for the young brand, added Griffiths. In 2023, almost a third of Cupra sales were in the Federal Republic.
Initially, they want to compete in the USA with two electric cars, said Griffiths: a purely electric successor to the previous Formentor, which is planned by the end of the decade, and a large SUV that they want to develop specifically for the US market. “We will then also offer both cars in Europe,” said Griffiths. The US vehicles also want to be produced in North America. “If you want to be profitable there, you need local production.” However, there are no plans to have our own factory. Instead, capacity from the VW brand could be used, which already operates plants in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and Puebla, Mexico.
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