SEAT Performance Brand Cupra Is Considering Coming to North America
Cupra, a performance sub-brand of Volkswagen-owned Spanish carmaker Seat, announced Friday it is currently analyzing an entry into the North American market.
Seat and Cupra have always been forbidden fruit here in the U.S., as it's never officially sold a car Stateside. Cupra says it has ambitions to become a Top 100 Best Global brand by 2030, and to do that, it says globalization is one of the main factors.
Cupra says it's already testing the brand with potential clients, with the result so far being "promising and positive."
Cupra's announcement of a potential foray into the North American market comes following an especially strong 2022 for Seat. Operating profit spiked by 550 million euros versus 2021, while revenue grew by 14 percent.
“Amidst a perfect storm of challenges, in 2022 Seat took historic decisions that will define our story in the coming years,” CEO Wayne Griffiths said in a statement. “Prioritizing Cupra, implementing a new cost reduction plan, and reshaping the way we work were crucial to guarantee long-term stability for the company."
Cupra's announcement should be taken as more of a suggestion it might enter the U.S. market, rather than a confirmation of its plans to come here. Peugeot suggested back in 2016 it might return to the U.S. as a "mobility company," though nothing ever came of it. So we're curious to see how far Seat actually gets.
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