The Cupra Leon will go fully electric for its next generation as the Spanish brand looks to futureproof the nameplate.
Arriving at the start of the next decade, the new Leon will be the fourth EV from the Volkswagen Group brand. It will join the forthcoming sub-€25,000 (sub-£20,800) Raval, the VW ID 5-twinned Tavascan and the Born, which is likely to enter a new generation just before the electric Leon arrives.
Before then, the current Leon, available with pure-ICE and plug-in hybrid powertrains, will be updated in line with upcoming Euro 7 emission regulations. This will allow the car to continue “well into the next decade” alongside the related Cupra Formentor, boss Wayne Griffiths told Autocar.
“The Cupra Leon and Cupra Formentor are both based on the same platform,” said Griffiths. “We will extend those well into the next decade. If we want to go into the next decade, then we’re always going to have to take care of those cars and revitalise them. We could expect facelifts or product improvements on both, to keep them going as long as we need to.”
He added: “After that, the next generation of Leon will definitely be electric.”
That EV will sit on VW’s new SSP platform, which will underpin everything from superminis to sports cars from the end of the decade. This will allow the Leon to keep a similar size to the current car and slot in below the rakish Tavascan in Cupra’s EV line-up.
It is also thought that the Leon could become exclusively a Cupra model, allowing Seat to focus on smaller, more affordable cars in conventional segments. According to Griffiths, such a move would enable Cupra to move further upmarket and focus on plug-in hybrids and ultimately pure EVs.
The launch next year of heavily updated versions of the Ibiza and Arona – two of Seat’s stalwart models as well as its best-sellers – is expected to signal the start of the brand’s repositioning. These updates, complete with hybrid technology, will allow the cars to meet the strict Euro 7 regulations as well as future-proof them for sale into the next decade.
It means mild-hybrid engines will be offered – a significant investment for smaller and less profitable models but a necessary step to continue selling affordable new cars to the mass market, where EV demand has yet to take off.
“We, like Volkswagen [has done with the Polo], want to extend the life cycles of those products, not only with the Euro 7, but also with hybridisation as well, because that’s what’s missing there: hybrid models,” said Griffiths.
Sales of both the Ibiza Seat could shift its focus to small, affordable cars like the Ibiza and Arona and Arona rose in the UK in 2023 and Seat’s overall sales have grown too. The larger Ateca and Leon are the other models in Seat’s line-up – after the demise of the Tarraco – both of which are also offered with a Cupra badge.
