Upcoming Spanish performance brand Cupra has announced its partners for its imminent Australian launch.
The Volkswagen Group brand, which recently celebrated its fourth birthday after being spun off Seat, will be launched with both Cupra Garages and partnerships with traditional dealer groups designed to help it expand its footprint.
Garages replace traditional dealerships and are expected to focus on city locations, starting with Pitt Street in Sydney. They will be staffed by customer experience professionals instead of dealership staff, aimed at delivering an experience that is less about ‘the sell’.
The Sydney Garage will be only the eighth in the world, and emphasises the importance of the Australian market to the brand, which is using its expansion here as a test bed to go global.
Speaking to the media via video at the brand’s launch in Sydney yesterday, Cupra global CEO Wayne Griffiths admitted that Australia was a “tough market” but a necessary one.
“We see Australia as a big step testing our ability to make Cupra global,” Mr Griffiths said.
“It’s an important step toward the globalisation [and a] real opportunity to make Cupra global, one perhaps we never had with Seat”.
In addition to its Cupra garage in Sydney, Cupra has also partnered with large dealer groups around the country to bring its brand to life.
In Queensland and Western Australia, AP Eagers has become the partner of choice, taking care of markets such a Brisbane, Gold Coast, and Perth.
The Alto Group will manage areas outside of the Sydney CBD. Zagame, which has a big footprint with Audi, will take care of Victoria.
Solitaire Automotive will look after South Australia, and the nation’s capital will be managed by Lennock.
Although these ‘showrooms’ will be run by traditional dealer groups, the fixed pricing model of the Cupra brand will remain unchanged.
It remains to be seen if people purchasing and dealing with Sydney’s direct to consumer Cupra Garage will receive a different experience to these dealer-led showrooms.
