New Cupra Brand - query

seatgraham

Active Member
Feb 14, 2012
485
49
Hmm not sure about that colour although haven’t seen it in the flesh!
I quite like the stealth nature of the current Cupra. Unlike some I wouldn’t want to see a lary model.
Electric Cupra sounds like an interesting development though.


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Wings988

Active Member
Oct 27, 2011
509
59
Derbyshire
That's exactly the reason why they did re brand.

They don't need a rebrand to make the cars sell better, they need to make the cars better so more people want them and not have 4 to 6 months waiting time in the UK as I'm sure that must put off some people.
I see loads of Focus ST every day, can Cupra ever get to that level of market ? A new badge will not help.
 

Ken H

Active Member
Dec 20, 2015
161
8
Cork , Ireland
They don't need a rebrand to make the cars sell better, they need to make the cars better so more people want them and not have 4 to 6 months waiting time in the UK as I'm sure that must put off some people.
I see loads of Focus ST every day, can Cupra ever get to that level of market ? A new badge will not help.

It won't happen over night that's for sure. It all comes down to money and the amount of it they pump behind the new brand. Making the cars better? One word ..... RS!
 

Wings988

Active Member
Oct 27, 2011
509
59
Derbyshire
It won't happen over night that's for sure. It all comes down to money and the amount of it they pump behind the new brand. Making the cars better? One word ..... RS!

MK 3 Focus RS are also common as muck round my way, I must see several every day and rarely another Cupra.

You are quite right, building the Cupra brand won't happen quickly. Ford have built their following (of RS) over decades and along the way they have had lots of motorsport success in rallying and touring cars. The car's are good and just look at the residual values and long term value, Sierra and Escort Cosworths fetch silly money now as do Mk1 and 2 RS escorts.

I'd be very interested to know what the plan is for Cupra
 

Ken H

Active Member
Dec 20, 2015
161
8
Cork , Ireland
MK 3 Focus RS are also common as muck round my way, I must see several every day and rarely another Cupra.

You are quite right, building the Cupra brand won't happen quickly. Ford have built their following (of RS) over decades and along the way they have had lots of motorsport success in rallying and touring cars. The car's are good and just look at the residual values and long term value, Sierra and Escort Cosworths fetch silly money now as do Mk1 and 2 RS escorts.

I'd be very interested to know what the plan is for Cupra
The RS brand like you say is huge, mk 3 for me and like every other Ford that's been before has been overhyped. (Massive marketing) Yes they are good cars but the cult following they have almost guarantees huge sales. Reliability is bordering criminal , the recall Ford have issued to customers has come very late, it's almost like they don't want to address the big elephant in the room, customers in the meantime will bury their heads in the sand and hope the problem goes away! The mind boggles with the loyalty they show Ford.
It would seem Seat don't need to change their logo, they need to add letters!
 
Last edited:

Wings988

Active Member
Oct 27, 2011
509
59
Derbyshire
The RS brand like you say is huge, mk 3 for me and like every other Ford that's been before has been overhyped. (Massive marketing) Yes they are good cars but the cult following they have almost guarantees huge sales. Reliability is bordering criminal , the recall Ford have issued to customers has come very late, it's almost like they don't want to address the big elephant in the room, customers in the meantime will bury their heads in the sand and hope the problem goes away! The mind boggles with the loyalty they show Ford.
It would seem Seat don't need to change their logo, they need to add letters!

Agreed, I've never understood why Ford has such a following with the poor reliability and the Mk3 FRS head gasket problems is shocking. I've never owned a fast Ford, liked a few of them that's all.

Ive had a few hot/warm SEATs over the years and really like them, not too showy but nicely styled and well made. I'm just not convinced that making Cupra a sub brand is what they need to do. Ford RS, AUDI RS, VW R, are not a sub brand. The more recent Renault RS isn't a sub brand but has garnered a decent following built on making drivers cars, they've dropped the ball a few times with crap gearboxes but in general they are now known for making well sorted handling hot hatches.
If SEAT can do with the Cupra models as Renault Sport and Hyundai N have seemingly done, it'll be a good move. I just hope that with the rebrand they also turn their attention to driving dynamics and let the engineers do a decent job.
 

Per

Active Member
Dec 19, 2017
38
4
The RS brand like you say is huge, mk 3 for me and like every other Ford that's been before has been overhyped. (Massive marketing) Yes they are good cars but the cult following they have almost guarantees huge sales. Reliability is bordering criminal , the recall Ford have issued to customers has come very late, it's almost like they don't want to address the big elephant in the room, customers in the meantime will bury their heads in the sand and hope the problem goes away! The mind boggles with the loyalty they show Ford.
It would seem Seat don't need to change their logo, they need to add letters!

As an owner of the MK3 RS, yes the marketing and journo's reviews were rather hyped up, but unless you've driven one ( in standard tune), it is a truly impressive piece of kit.

As for reliability bordering on criminal - really? Mine is one of the early ones (end of March 2016 build, April 16 collection) and sitting nicely with 21k on the clock, a daily driver and driven hard. I know plenty of reliable ones. Don't believe all the negativity you read on the internet - a lot of that is hyped. Sure Ford cocked up with installation of an incorrect head gasket (the one for the Mustang was used, which is nigh on the same engine as the RS, one, but lesser tune, and it took time for Ford to admit to the source of the problem) so the gasket mix up is possible (but of course shouldn't happen). Sure Ford haven't dealt with the whole issue very well, but that doesn't change the iconic status of the RS.

Agreed, I've never understood why Ford has such a following with the poor reliability and the Mk3 FRS head gasket problems is shocking. I've never owned a fast Ford, liked a few of them that's all.
.

Why has the RS got such a following? It's simply iconic going back to the classic RS's of the late 60s through to the 90s with their rallying success with the cars like the MK1 and MK2 RS2000, and the Escort Cosworth and touring car success with the Sierra RS Cosworth 3 door.

Cupra is a new brand relatively speaking compared to the RS brand, and likely has the same cult following (I am new to the Cupra scene with my ST 300 4drive).

As for unreliability - I doubt the Cupra has escaped from it's reliability issues since launch - door locks failing as an example, on the 2015-16 Cupra's, DSG box problems with the 2010-2012 models.

No car is totally without issue. It's how it is handled by the manufacturer that sets perceptions. Look at the dieselgate scandal by the VW group ( did it affect and Diesel Seats?).

Unless you've driven the MK3 RS it's hard to describe how good it is.

All that aside, I am looking forward to the Cupra ST as a rapid family car - the RS is a lot more aggressive and an entertaining drive. The Cupra is a more relaxed but rapid drive.
 
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