Cupra on track to top 1000 sales in 2022

The newest Volkswagen Group brand in Australia, Cupra, is expected to sell more than 1000 cars in its first six months on sale.

The sporty Spanish offshoot of SEAT says it has taken more than 1500 orders since hitting Australia in May, and will deliver more than 1000 cars by the time 2022 draws to a close.

“The year has been a pretty wild ride for our customers and for us, but a tremendous success as well,” Cupra Australia brand director Ben Wilks told CarExpert.

“1500 plus orders, we’ll finally deliver more than 1000 cars. Of course we have had some cars that were slower to get here than we’d like, and that’s holding us up from a delivery point of view,” he said.

With 914 sales to date in 2022, Cupra is currently sitting near new electric brand BYD (845) on the sales charts, along with luxury upstart Genesis (968, on track to top 1000 sales for the first time).

It’s ahead of Jaguar (695) and Alfa Romeo (530) on the VFACTS charts as well, despite only delivering its first cars in August.

The Formentor crossover is currently the best-selling Cupra model in Australia, accounting for more than 70 per cent of orders, of which around half are for the Golf R-powered VZx variant.

The remainder of sales are split evenly between the Leon hatchback and Ateca SUV, although that will change when the electric Born hatchback touches down in Australia.

Priced at $59,990 before on-road costs, the Born will go head-to-head with the Tesla Model 3 sedan when it hits Australian showrooms in March 2023. It’ll also take on the Nissan Leaf e+ ($61,990 before on-roads).

Previously, global Cupra boss Wayne Griffiths has told Australian media “supply for the planned demand is secured, and our planned demand is quite ambitious”.

However speaking with CarExpert, Mr Wilks confirmed there may be a waiting list for the Born when it lobs in 2023.

“We’re competing with all world markets and with markets that still have even more advanced legislation about electrification, and in favour of electrification or negative towards petrol vehicles,” Mr Wilks said.

“We’re locked in with the cars we’re going to get, and if I look at the demand so far, the demand is probably going to exceed that,” he said. “We just need to manage that sensitively for each of our customers, and provide our order bank really clearly to the factory so they see just how much impact we’re having here in Australia.”