Spanish car giant has had its say and is here to stay

​Cupra is one of those brands that surprises you. On many levels. It repeatedly surprises car heads with their seemingly-never-ending conveyor belt of sexy vehicles landing on Irish roads.

Before that it surprised us by breaking away from the mother ship and forming it’s own stand alone brand.

And this week it surprised the motor fraternity once more by bringing us all together to talk fleet and numbers at an exclusive driving event in Wicklow.

During the presentation the Cupra bosses were quick to dispel rumours that Seat was being wound down, but were keen to focus on their premium-level mini brand. The new Born VZ was there as was the all new Tavascan and Terramar.

We got behind the wheel of the new Formentor and there was a gorgeous Leon estate.

Individually, they are all great cars. Together, they form one of the best-looking and highest performing ranges in Irish motoring.

And yet…the biggest surprise for Motormouths was that last year Cupra only accounted for 1.1 per cent of car sales.

That single per cent landed them in 20th position in the rankings and behind some brands that don’t deserve to be up there.

Their biggest problem is that people still don’t know who they are. Mothership Seat has been using the moniker for years to signify a faster version of their cars. So now that they are on their own, they have a bit of an identity crisis. And I am here to tell you that they shouldn’t.

As motoring journalists we are in the privileged position to be able to drive every new car. So, I can tell you there are no bad Cupras out there.

They have a good mix of EVs as well as PHEVs and on the latest addition in the Tavascan they have a very unique interior design that will wow users.

Gasper Alcaide is the company’s brand director and while it may seem like he has a hard job ahead of him, he actually believes the exact opposite. “We are incredibly proud of the growth we have achieved to date in Ireland with our new car sales increasing fivefold since 2022. Our network now spans 16 different locations nationwide.

“The driving event this week was a milestone for us, offering Irish motoring media the chance to experience our dynamic line-up.

“With the recent launch of the Cupra Tavascan and Terramar, we are excited to present a complete 2025 product offering that sets new benchmarks in performance and electrified mobility. This is just the beginning of an exhilarating journey ahead.”

Having launched just four years ago here in Ireland there is a long way to go on that journey.

Once you sit in and test drive one of these cars you will be pleasantly surprised by the fun brand’s commitment to performance, innovation and their distinctive design.

And as word spreads more and more people will take the plunge. So don’t be surprised to see more Cupras on Irish roads this year.

I will be getting a full test week in the new Tavascan soon and will report back.