Design: CUPRA's red thread

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Design is in our CUPRA DNA. It brings together our entire brand, connecting everything that we stand for, like a red thread. Something the CUPRA Design Obsession event in April made more than clear.

Indeed, the World Premiere of the new CUPRA Formentor and CUPRA Leon in Madrid also marked the launch of our most important venture to date beyond the CUPRA car brand: the creation of 'CUPRA Design', a new, unique, standalone design house that will not only be responsible for all our brand’s merchandise and co-creation projects, but it will also work with companies that connect with our philosophy and want to incorporate our style into their own brands.

We're driven by design. Come along with us as we unwind the red thread of our holistic design approach. 🧶

A Design Obsession

When people think about CUPRA they see boldness, feel emotion, fall into an endless provocation. That's what our designers, with CUPRA Design Director Jorge Diez leading the team, pursue. Design goes beyond our models: we look for authenticity everywhere, infusing CUPRA's DNA in everything we touch.

"Design is in everything we do, everything we see, in everything we feel; our obsession with design is part of our nature. Not everyone will like what we do, but some people will love it." - JORGE DIEZ, CUPRA Design Director

With 'CUPRA Design', we’re taking our design obsession to a new level, aiming to become a disruptor for those who want bold, unconventional designs, no matter their product or their project.

Reaching uniqueness: the CUPRA essence

But how does the CUPRA design red thread inherently connect different products, such as cars and jewellery? It's all about the brand's essence based on its nine core design characters.

This is how Francesca Sangalli, Head of Colour & Trim and Concept & Strategy at CUPRA, explained it at the CUPRA Design Obsession event.

These nine pillars embody our most important value: the sense of being "One of Us", the CUPRA Tribe. They consist of:

1. THE ESSENCE OF RAW, or how genuineness comes by default. It’s our origin

2. NEW AUTHENTICITY, as the world from a minute ago is already old

3. UNSTOPPABLE IMPULSE, what drives us from within, yet everyone can see

4. WHO DRIVES WHO, when human and machine become one, and become better

5. THE REBEL, because we're not like others, we're rebels

6. IGNITING OBSESSION, as we can't stop thinking about it, nor do we want to

7. STAND OUT TO FIT IN, going against the trend

8. A YOUNG FASHIONED ERA, to be an icon without being left behind, in a virtual world that's out there for us

9. THE ORIGIN OF THE UNKNOWN, because only a few dare to venture into the unknown

At the CUPRA Design Obsession event, they came to life in a thoroughly explored fashion performance, with our red thread unravelling right before our eyes.

Let's make it CUPRA

Through these design values, 'CUPRA' becomes an attitude you can recognise anywhere. You will find it in our cars, in our CUPRA City Garages, in our merchandise, and also in our collaborations with different brands.

The latest example is MAM, a sustainable jewellery brand from Barcelona that shares our unconventional mindset. Together, we have created a collection that includes a ring, as well as 'Welcome to the Tribe' standard and limited-edition bracelets, which have emerged from our collaboration through a process that sparked creativity, challenged norms and explored rare materials and textures. The products are made from ruthenium and copper, materials CUPRA uses in its vehicles to capture an essence of raw authenticity.

Another noteworthy example is Marset, a Barcelona-based lighting design studio we have teamed up with for the second time. Now, they've reinterpreted their iconic 'Dipping Light' lamp by featuring CUPRA's colours, balancing sophistication and emotion in an unconventional way.

Spinning the yarn

Once unravelled, our design red thread knows no limits, as we keep spinning the yarn, always seeking to shock in everything we do. Because at CUPRA we believe that most people quickly forget what you say or what you do, but they never forget how you make them feel.

So, this is our design obsession in a nutshell:

• Design is in CUPRA's DNA. 🧬

• Our design approach is used seamlessly across all our products; CUPRA Design will be involved in every project from conception, and everything aligns with its singular design aesthetic. 🌐

• We explore new territories others do not even think about. 🚀

• We look for something so strong that provokes an instant emotional reaction. 🔥

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