The latest Volkswagen Group model in Australia, Cupra, is predicted to promote greater than 1000 vehicles in its first six months on sale.
The sporty Spanish offshoot of SEAT says it has taken greater than 1500 orders since hitting Australia in Might, and can ship greater than 1000 vehicles by the point 2022 attracts to an in depth.
“The 12 months has been a fairly wild trip for our prospects and for us, however an incredible success as properly,” Cupra Australia model director Ben Wilks instructed CarExpert.
“1500 plus orders, we’ll lastly ship greater than 1000 vehicles. After all now we have had some vehicles that had been slower to get right here than we’d like, and that’s holding us up from a supply perspective,” he mentioned.
With 914 gross sales thus far in 2022, Cupra is presently sitting close to new electrical model BYD (845) on the gross sales charts, together with luxurious upstart Genesis (968, on monitor to prime 1000 gross sales for the primary time).
It’s forward of Jaguar (695) and Alfa Romeo (530) on the VFACTS charts as properly, regardless of solely delivering its first vehicles in August.
The Formentor crossover is presently the best-selling Cupra mannequin in Australia, accounting for greater than 70 per cent of orders, of which round half are for the Golf R-powered VZx variant.
The rest of gross sales are break up evenly between the Leon hatchback and Ateca SUV, though that may change when the electrical Born hatchback touches down in Australia.
Priced at $59,990 earlier than on-road prices, the Born will go head-to-head with the Tesla Mannequin 3 sedan when it hits Australian showrooms in March 2023. It’ll additionally tackle the Nissan Leaf e+ ($61,990 earlier than on-roads).
Beforehand, international Cupra boss Wayne Griffiths has instructed Australian media “provide for the deliberate demand is secured, and our deliberate demand is sort of bold”.
Nonetheless talking with CarExpert, Mr Wilks confirmed there could also be a ready checklist for the Born when it lobs in 2023.
“We’re competing with all world markets and with markets that also have much more superior laws about electrification, and in favour of electrification or destructive in the direction of petrol autos,” Mr Wilks mentioned.
“We’re locked in with the vehicles we’re going to get, and if I have a look at the demand up to now, the demand might be going to exceed that,” he mentioned. “We simply have to handle that sensitively for every of our prospects, and supply our order financial institution actually clearly to the manufacturing facility so that they see simply how a lot influence we’re having right here in Australia.”
