It's not very often that the US car market gains another competitor, but if Cupra has its way, it could soon be selling its brand of cool-looking Spanish performance cars on American soil. Back in July, 2020 we reported on the Cupra el-Born, a hot EV hatch from Spanish manufacturer Seat which was never destined for our market, but more recently things have been looking more hopeful.

In June we covered the Terramar, a performance SUV from the now independent Cupra performance-focused brand powered by the same 2.0-liter turbocharged engine found in the Volkswagen Golf GTI and Golf R. Now the Cupra brand is getting ready to launch in Australia, and its next stop could be North America.

The standalone brand falls under the Volkswagen Group umbrella, and its cars are expected to arrive in Australian dealerships later this year. After a successful Australian launch, the plan is to make the big leap to the US but there are no plans on making a move into the biggest market of them all: China.

Volkswagen has a strong foothold in China, with brands such as Audi, Skoda, and VW itself selling well there. Cupra will be looking to expand in markets where there is more room for growth.

"There are markets outside of Australia that we're developing. We're strong in South America, particularly in Mexico but also in Colombia and Chile. On top of that, obviously if you want to become a global brand - our reason for coming to Australia - is to prove that we can become a global brand. Then you need to look at markets like North America, but that would only be in a second phase. For now there is no decision being made on North America, but we're starting to analyze the market" Cupra's global head, Wayne Griffiths, told media at Cupra's Sydney showroom launch.

The Cupra brand, originally the performance wing of the Seat brand, will look to dominate the EV market with its own recipe of freshly-styled EV cars, and will look to take on Tesla, a brand that Griffiths has a lot of respect for. "I think where Tesla is a competitor, it's been one of the first movers in electrification and therefore it is a successful electric brand. We have respect for Tesla. They've made a huge step and they've been part of helping accelerate the acceptance and adoption of electric cars," he said. Americans are tired of missing out on cool European-only models, and with cars such as the Terramar rolling out of the Cupra stables, we can't wait for the brand to make landfall in the US.