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With the EU moving the goalposts, Cupra says the brand will continue to sell its petrol-powered models beyond the 2030 deadline it previously set itself.
Spanish challenger brand Cupra says its plan to sell only electric cars by the end of the decade is “less clear than it was” with petrol models likely to continue beyond then.
Cupra globally has previously stated it planned to be all-electric by 2030, but that deadline could change if the European Union (EU) “keeps changing its mind about the future” of internal combustion-engined (ICE) cars.
“As long as the European Union keeps on changing its mind about the future, we're going to play along,” Erdem Kizildere, Director of Sales for International Markets at Seat and Cupra, told media at the Australian launch of the car maker’s last completely petrol-powered model, the Terramar medium SUV, in Melbourne this week.
“It's very clear right now for us that 2035 is the last year to sell the ICE cars. If this is going to remain, then we are going to adapt the timeline.
“It's a performance brand. We will have the ICE cars as long as it's permitted.”
By 2035, the EU has mandated that no new internal combustion engine-powered vehicles will be sold, although an agreement was reached allowing the sale of new ICE vehicles running exclusively on carbon-neutral e-fuels after that date.
Cupra Australia’s local Head of Product, Jeff Shafer, also told Drive that plans are likely to change.
“It's probably less clear now than maybe it was [in 2022 when Cupra first arrived in Australia],” he said.
“We will be looking at how the market develops both here and obviously in Europe, our home base. It might be a little bit sooner, it might be a bit later if the market changes. We've got the flexibility within the engine offerings to adjust our plans as we go forward.
“With the [Terramar’s] internal combustion engine, we probably have a generation's worth of life left in that. Product cycles can vary a bit, but typically we'd look at seven years or thereabout. So probably into the 2030s. I don't think the end has been set just yet.”
At present, Cupra sells five models in Australia, comprised of a mix of mild-hybrids, plug-in hybrids and fully-electric vehicles.
The Terramar S is powered by a 1.5-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder engine with 48-volt mild-hybrid assistance, while the V and VZ variants use a 2.0-litre turbo-four.
A VZe plug-in hybrid version is due in November.
The Ateca, now in run-out and set to be replaced by the Terramar, is the only model with a petrol-only line-up, using a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder engine.
The Formentor and Leon have petrol-only variants, but also offer plug-in hybrid versions using a 1.4-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder and single-electric motor, with an updated, more powerful engine coming with the latter’s facelift later this year.
The Tavascan EV is the brand’s flagship in Australia, while the Born electric hatch is currently unavailable after selling out in June. A higher-powered Born variant is expected in early 2026.
A born-and-bred newshound, Kathryn has worked her way up through the ranks reporting for, and later editing, two renowned UK regional newspapers and websites, before moving on to join the digital newsdesk of one of the world’s most popular newspapers – The Sun. More recently, she’s done a short stint in PR in the not-for-profit sector, and led the news team at Wheels Media.
