Cupra, the Volkswagen-owned Spanish performance brand, is the latest automotive giant to experiment with fixed-pricing for new cars in Australia.

From when the brand launches mid-year, the price tag on their vehicles will be non-negotiable, with much of the buying process to be completed online prior to handover at one of their dozen showrooms set to open across the country.

“We’re not an online business… we’re just aiming to make the boring and annoying bits [of the new-car buying process] a bit better,” said Ben Wilks, Cupra Australia Director.

“[The showrooms] will be in every capital city on the mainland. We’ll have a few outlets in both Sydney and Melbourne, we’ll be represented in Adelaide, Perth, and Queensland as well.”

While the outlets are yet to be named, the company says each one will be part of the Volkswagen, Audi or Skoda dealer network.

Mr Wilks declined to share sales forecasts but indicated Cupra will be a niche brand at the beginning.

“We are not necessarily here as the Cupra brand to be liked by everyone… that’s not what our brand is about. But we do want to be loved by some.”

“The industry is facing a lot of restrictions in terms of productions. What I would say, though, is that the Australian launch for Cupra is strategically important… It’s our first step into the Asia-pacific region. And I’m quite confident that we’re going to be able to bring the production we need to be able to meet demand.”

Initially, the Cupra range in Australia will comprise the Leon hot hatch and Formentor SUV – both with a choice of turbo petrol or plug-in hybrid power – as well as the Ateca SUV available solely with turbo petrol. Read more about the details of its local lineup HERE.

The all-electric Born is expected to join by the end of the year – with testing on local roads having already commenced.

While drive-away prices will be non-negotiable, final costs will vary nationally according to the differences in stamp duties in different states.

Source: Drive | Cupra announces fixed-price business model, a dozen showrooms from mid-year

14 January 2022