Uh oh, Cupra has put the brakes on its US launch

Are you an American who was looking forward to driving a medium-to-hot Spanish car? Well, we have some bad news for you, because Cupra has announced it is postponing its planned US launch.

“Given the ongoing challenges within the automotive industry and in light of evolving market dynamics, Cupra has strategically decided to postpone its planned entry into the US market, originally scheduled for 2030,” it said.

We know Cupra had been speaking to Penske about its US market launch, and that it originally planned on building a larger SUV in one of VW’s North American factories. That of course might have made the tariff situation slightly easier for one of its cars, but even though a US-EU trade deal was announced this week that brings the tariffs on EU-built cars entering the US down from 27.5 to 15 per cent, Cupra has still put the brakes on all of its American plans.

And yet, it doesn’t sound as though this is a complete cancellation of the expansion.

“We’re not stopping, just postponing our US launch and will continue to monitor market developments in the coming years to determine the best timing and approach, aligned with the brand’s long-term vision,” said Sven Schuwirth, executive VP for sales, marketing and aftersales.

“In the meantime, Cupra will build on the strong momentum it has achieved in existing key territories and will soon expand into new high-potential markets to broaden its global footprint.”

As part of the business update, Cupra was also keen to point out it has just had its ‘best first half ever’ with 167,600 vehicles delivered between January and June 2025. That’s apparently a 33.4 per cent increase over the same period last year. The Formentor crossover (pictured above) remains its best-seller, accounting for just under a third of those sales.