Cupra is a car brand owned and produced by SEAT, a Spanish manufacturer part of Volkswagen Group, headquartered in Martorell near Barcelona.

Originating from SEAT's motorsport division Cupra Racing, the Cupra brand was introduced as a standalone brand in January 2018, after being used as a performance sub-brand of SEAT since 1996. While initial Cupra models are based on SEAT vehicles, in September 2020 Cupra introduced the first Cupra-only vehicle, the Cupra Formentor.

In 2021, the brand introduced its first electric car called the Cupra Born.

Cupra originated from Cupra Racing (previously SEAT Sport), the high-performance motorsport subsidiary of SEAT. The "Cupra" name, short for "Cup Racing" was first used in 1996 by the SEAT Ibiza GTI 2.0 16V Cupra Sport, which was a street legal version of the Ibiza Mk2 kit car used in the competition and created as a special edition to celebrate SEAT's victory in the 1996 FIA 2-Litre World Rally Cup (a subdivision of the World Rally Championship at that time). It was followed by the SEAT Ibiza Cupra 1.8 20V in 1999, and the more powerful Ibiza Cupra R in 2000.

Over the following two decades, SEAT introduced a succession of hot hatchbacks marketed with the Cupra badge, such as the SEAT León Cupra 1.8 20V in 1999, and in the following year the SEAT Leon Cupra 4, which is the first AWD Cupra and the only six-cylinder Cupra. Since then, every SEAT León generation has been supplemented with a Cupra-badged hot hatch version.

In 2017, then SEAT CEO Luca de Meo hinted at the possibility of Cupra becoming a standalone brand. At that point, Cupra was only available as the performance version of the León. On 31 January 2018, SEAT confirmed that it is launching Cupra as a standalone brand, followed by an announcement event on 22 February 2018, in which prototypes of forthcoming Cupra models such as the Cupra Ateca were shown. SEAT's head of sales and marketing Wayne Griffiths planned to double Cupra sales within the following four to five years, helping SEAT achieve sustainable profitability. Cupra cars were to be sold in some SEAT dealerships in Europe, with dedicated floor space.

ateca

The SEAT Ateca is a compact crossover SUV (C-segment) manufactured by Spanish automaker SEAT. The brand's first SUV offering, the Ateca is built on the Volkswagen Group MQB A1 platform and sits in the C-SUV segment, between the Arona and Tarraco within SEAT's crossover SUV lineup.

The Ateca is also sold under a new performance-oriented brand, Cupra, whose cars are based on existing SEAT models. As a result, the car does not bear the SEAT logo in favour of the copper-tinted badge Cupra logo. It features a redesigned front and rear bumpers, quad exhaust pipes, and gloss-black detailing on several exterior elements, including the wing mirrors, side mouldings, wheels and front grille.

The Cupra Ateca gets a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine producing 300 PS and paired with a 7-speed DSG dual-clutch automatic transmission, 4Drive all-wheel drive and an adaptive suspension. SEAT claims the combination can take the compact SUV from 0–100 km/h  in 5.4 seconds with a top speed of 245 km/h. The car can operate in a number of modes, including a new 'Cupra' setting that firms up the suspension and allows more engine noise through to the cabin.

In February 2021, the Cupra Born was introduced as Cupra's first electric car. The concept version was called SEAT el-Born, but the Born became a Cupra-only model while remaining closely related to the Volkswagen ID.3. The second electric car from Cupra is the Tavascan, launched in April 2023, which was preceded by the Tavascan concept car shown at the 2019 Frankfurt Motor Show. It is the first Cupra model produced outside Europe, made by Volkswagen Anhui in China.

born

The Cupra Born is a battery electric compact car/small family car (C-segment) marketed by SEAT through its performance-oriented Cupra marque. The Born is based on the Volkswagen Group MEB platform and has been manufactured at the same plant in Zwickau, Germany, as the MEB-based Volkswagen ID.3.

 The car is named after a neighbourhood in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.

At launch there was an option of two powertrains, a base electric motor at the rear and rear-wheel drive of 150 PS, and a more powerful model with a rear engine of  231 PS and 310 Nm. With Boost Mode, it took 6.6 seconds for the flagship model to accelerate to 0–100 km/h. In 2024 the more powerful VZ was introduced, with an engine of 326 hp and 545 Nm, which achieves 5.6 seconds 0–100 km/h.

tavascan

2023-now

The Cupra Tavascan is a battery electric compact crossover SUV (C-segment) to be produced by Volkswagen Anhui, a joint venture between Volkswagen (75%) and Chinese company JAC Group (25%), and sold by Cupra. The Tavascan is marketed as the Volkswagen ID. UNYX  in China, with minor cosmetic changes. In April 2025, the Volkswagen ID. UNYX was renamed to Volkswagen ID. UNYX 06.

The Tavascan is based on the MEB platform designed for electric vehicles of the Volkswagen Group, first used in a production car by the Volkswagen ID.3. The SUV has one electric motors on each axle, providing all-wheel drive and a cumulative power of 302 hp.

The Tavascan's battery has a capacity of 77 kWh (280 MJ), providing a range of 450 km.

The Cupra logo of two intersecting triangles was designed by Alejandro Mesonero-Romanos. According to Mesonero-Romanos, the philosophy of the triangular logo is that a triangle is a dynamic shape, has a stable base, and points in a clear direction.