“We’re breaking the 20,000 mark for the first time this year”

Seat and Cupra, the two Spanish brands of the Volkswagen Group, are very popular in Austria. The market share for new registrations increases year after year. “This year we will achieve 8.2 percent for the first time, 5.1 percent for Seat, 3.1 percent for Cupra,” said Wolfgang Wurm, Managing Director of Porsche Austria, at the annual press conference in Vienna. “For the first time this year we will also exceed the 20,000 mark in deliveries.” For comparison: in 2022 there was 7.6 percent market share for Seat and Cupra.

The best-selling Seat model last year was the Seat Ateca; the compact SUV relegated the small car models Ibiza and Arona to second and third place in the internal race.

Wolfgang Wurm, Managing Director of Porsche Holding Salzburg
Image: Porsche Holding Salzburg

The most popular Cupra model was the fully electric Born; the compact car accounted for 37 percent of all new Cupra registrations.

Hoping for a rate cut in 2024

Wolfgang Wurm, a native of Upper Austria, is hoping for interest rate cuts next year. “Then the new car market will go up again.” In any case, the signs are favorable for Seat and Cupra. Timo Sommerauer, new head of the two brands, announced a particularly attractively priced entry-level model on the occasion of the 40th birthday of the Seat Ibiza: “We will offer the Seat Ibiza starting at 13,790 euros,” said the native of Upper Austria. In addition, the Seat “Fast Lane”, which already existed once in Austria, is celebrating a comeback at the end of the first quarter of 2024: certain pre-configured Seat Ibiza and Arona in the most popular equipment versions will be delivered to the customer in just 21 days from the time of order.

Timo Sommerauer, Brand Manager Seat/Cupra
Image: Cupra

Cupra Tavascan ab Herbst 2024

Numerous innovations are planned for the Cupra brand: the refreshed Formentor will arrive at dealers in the second quarter. The all-electric Born will also be redesigned and will arrive in the fall; During the same period, the renewed Leon will appear. And in the fourth quarter of 2024, the fully electric Cupra Tavascan and – last but not least – the new Cupra Terramar will arrive. The latter will also be available with a plug-in hybrid drive with an electric range of more than 100 kilometers.