Currently reading: New Cupra Formentor to be officially revealed next week

First standalone Cupra model to be launched will retain near-identical styling to show car and use a 242bhp plug-in hybrid powertrain

Seat's sister brand Cupra will finally reveal its first standalone model, the Formentor, at the Geneva motor show next week, ahead of an on-sale date later this year.  

REVEALED: New 2020 Cupra Formentor is brand's first bespoke model

Spy shots of the model undergoing testing show that the design stays wholly faithful to that of the earlier Geneva motor show concept, with the same profile and surfacing visible beneath the disguise.

It's the second production model to be badged a Cupra following the Cupra Ateca, and the first not to be based on a model from parent firm Seat. Cupra says the Formentor offers “the benefits of a performance car with the qualities of an SUV”.

Cupra formentor 09

The Formentor takes styling cues from the Seat 20V20 concept shown at Geneva in 2015. As a coupé crossover, it also fits Seat’s vision for Cupra as a ‘premium performance’ brand, rather than as a producer of pure high-performance vehicles.

The Formentor sits lower than most crossovers and features a sloping roofline, sharp sculpted lines on the side, a two-tone body and pronounced rear haunches. The front grille of the car takes cues from the Seat Tarraco large SUV, while the rear features a single LED light strip running the length of the car’s boot lid. 

While Cupra has yet to announce the Formentor’s dimensions, we know that it's lower, wider and longer than the Ateca on which it's based in an effort to improve ride and handling as well as looks. 

The concept car presented at Geneva last year features a 1.4-litre TSI petrol engine mated to an electric motor, providing a combined system output of 242bhp and a WLTP-certified electric-only range of around 30 miles. The power is delivered via a dual-clutch DSG transmission.

3cupra cuv 003

Advertisement

Read our review

Car review

Cupra's first standalone model has been extensively reworked to broaden its appeal. Does it deliver?

Back to top

The use of a hybrid system fits with Seat's plans to use Cupra as a 'technological flagship'. Autocar understands that a pure petrol version will be offered, too, but it's not yet clear if this will be offered from launch. 

The Formentor features the Volkswagen Group’s DCC adaptive suspension system and a differential lock, along with progressive steering. Cupra says the system has been tuned so that it handles “majestically.”

While no interior images have been revealed yet, Cupra says it features a leather-clad steering wheel and bucket seats, dark chrome trim on the dashboard, a digital cockpit and a 10-inch infotainment touchscreen.

The Formentor takes its name from a peninsula on Majorca, following parent firm Seat’s convention of naming cars after Spanish geographical features.

A production version of the Formentor forms a core part of Cupra’s plans to reach 30,000 sales within three to five years. The brand sold 14,400 models last year, a figure that includes Seat-badged Cupra models such as the Leon Cupra R.

Cupra design chief Alejandro Mesonero-Romanos previously told Autocar that the new Formentor was "100% designed as a Cupra", but added that "there could be Seat versions" of it in the future. 

Read more

Cupra Leon eHybrid plug-in hot hatch launched with 242bhp​

Cupra boss: No bespoke sports cars for now​

New Cupra Ateca Limited Edition gets design and performance tweaks

James Attwood

James Attwood, digital editor
Title: Acting magazine editor

James is Autocar's acting magazine editor. Having served in that role since June 2023, he is in charge of the day-to-day running of the world's oldest car magazine, and regularly interviews some of the biggest names in the industry to secure news and features, such as his world exclusive look into production of Volkswagen currywurst. Really.

Before first joining Autocar in 2017, James spent more than a decade in motorsport journalist, working on Autosport, autosport.com, F1 Racing and Motorsport News, covering everything from club rallying to top-level international events. He also spent 18 months running Move Electric, Haymarket's e-mobility title, where he developed knowledge of the e-bike and e-scooter markets. 

Join the debate

Comments
24
Add a comment…
adrian888 26 February 2020

Leon on steroids....

My guess is it will borrow much of its structure and interior from the new Leon in much the same way as the Arona is basically an Ibiza (on stilts)The sales volumes do not justify a true stand alone model. However that in itself does not put me off the idea and if it works commercially that is all that matters.

catnip 26 February 2020

This is heralded as being a

This is heralded as being a big moment for the Cupra brand - its first stand alone model. But then we read that there is likely to be a Seat version. The Seat Ateca, on the other hand, was a stand alone product, until they created a Cupra version. As its all the same company, all this fuss is just a matter of timing.

Pietro Cavolonero 17 December 2019

Cupra....

It's just VAG's Maybach without the heritage?!?