Shadows. Big ones. Cupra is hogging all the oxygen in the room.
Markus Haupt says the Spanish brand’s plan is still solid. The VW Group future? Secure. He sounds confident. Maybe too confident for someone whose flagship sibling just dropped the Raval.
Speaking to Auto Express, Haupt claimed he’s “happy” with performance. Number one in Spain this February. A nice stat. It helps. But the real news isn’t the past. It’s the silence on the electric front.
“Giving up heritage like SEAT is a nonsense.”
That’s his take. The brand has history. Weight. You can’t just drop it.
So here’s the kicker. SEAT’s post-2030 life will be electric. Of course it will. Everyone else is. But right now? Impossible.
Why? The money doesn’t work. Production costs for EVs are bleeding cash. You can’t run a profitable SEAT at these prices.
It’s a math problem. Not an engineering one.
Haupt knows this. He says wait. Let scale happen. Let time do the work. Bring costs down. Then you build the EV. It’s a “natural way.” Sounds passive. Feels like a delay tactic. But he insists no decision needs to be made this year.
This isn’t new panic either.
Back in October 2035 — wait, no. October 2025. Sven Schuwirth said the same thing. The Ibiza name sticks. Might get an electric makeover eventually. Maybe. But right now the focus is pre-2030 survival.
The sibling rivalry creates the mess. Cupra sits higher. Premium positioning. That means you charge more. That means EVs actually make financial sense for them. Look at the list.
- Formentor
- Born
- Tavascan
- Terramar
- New Raval
All launched. All Cupra. While SEAT… does facelifts.
Last year we saw fresh faces for the Ibiza and Arona. Mild-hybrids coming in 2027.
Then 2028 hits.
The Leon gets a reskin. Hybrid power injected into the mix. A refresh, not a rebirth. Haupt won’t give a date for a fully all-new model. Just a pledge.
It will come.
Maybe.
You have to wonder if the platform gap will widen before it closes. SEAT isn’t dying. But it is standing still. Watching the other car pull ahead.
