Cupra boss: 'Australia needs to embrace EVs'

The head of Cupra has said Australia "needs to speed up" its electric vehicle strategy and if does, the market could look drastically different in just two to three years.

Cupra has confirmed its Terramar plug-in hybrid SUV, as well as Tavascan and Urban Rebel ultra-compact EVs will come to Australia – as the brand targets 7000 sales by 2025.

"I think the question will be how has Australia evolved as an electrified market by 2025? And I hope by then it has evolved starting from scratch, but I think it needs to speed up because it is the only way to reduce emissions – and cars are one of the bigger cause of emissions," CEO Waynne Griffiths told Wheels at the Spanish performance brand's local launch this week.

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"There will be a change probably in the policy, you have a new government that hopefully puts that as a priority. And if the Government puts the actions in place it can happen very fast within a period of two or three years, you can see the share of the electric market go from nothing to 20 per cent.

"See what happened in Europe, they all started at nothing and then within a period of two or three years, by putting in an incentive plan and a support plan for infrastructure you can get the market grow.

"I think, an EV policy with a clear message to the consumers that it's the right thing to do [is crucial]. The customers need that, because, without that, there's a lot of let's wait and see, whether this is just a passing thing or do they really work? How long do the batteries last? Where can you charge them? They're too expensive.

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"So all these rumours and stories around EV tend to disappear in the moment where governments make clear EV policies to support the sales of electric vehicles and to support the roll out of the charging infrastructure.

"As well, customers want to know they're doing something smart, but not smart just for the environment, but smart for the pocket. And then on top of that, to know that it's going to be backed, that they're going to be able to be mobile everywhere they go. And you see that going hand in hand, but the trigger always in all markets that I've seen the EV roll out, starting in Norway, which was the first [is an EV policy]"

As well as ensuring supply of its petrol-powered models – the Leon, Ateca and Formentor – this year, Griffiths said the company will prioritise numbers of its Born EV for Australia too.

"We have for Australia secured supply for this year because we see Australia as a strategic objective," he said. "So within our limited supply, we will prioritise the supply for Australia this year to make sure the launch works for the Cupra Formentor, Ateca and Leon.

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"And we will also secure supply for the most important launch, which, I think for the brand in Australia, will be the Cupra Born, our first fully-electric car.

"It's still very early to be launching a fully-electric car in Australia – when you drive around, you don't see many electric cars, you don't see many in general, but it will happen because it needs to happen, it's going to happen everywhere. The electrification is the only way to get to zero emissions at the moment in passenger cars, at least."

Griffiths says Australia makes a natural market for Cupra’s expansion as a challenger brand, though says the company will know within a few years whether it is succeeding here or not.

"Assuming the market gets going, then I think [Cupra] electric cars will be playing a role by then, and those will include the Tavascan for most of Australia, I think. The Terramar is a plug-in hybrid, therefore as a combustion alternative, both of those will work together with the Born by then as well, as it's fully-electric.

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"And I think that the UrbanRebel [also confirmed], we will be bringing from after 2025 here. That could be huge, particularly in cities like Melbourne or Sydney. It's a great car in a city with a [driving] range of up to 500 kilometres with great acceleration, a gold car, really fun to drive, looks great.

"I think those key electrified cars by then will play the most important role in the 7000 cars. But still by then, we will be still selling Leons and Formentors as well.

"[Electrification] is a big step and we're jumping in the swimming pool in the deep end. But you have to believe in it. And then you have to make those decisions now. And they're really difficult and tough decisions to make now believing that, that's what it needs to be in the future. Because if you don't do that, then the alternative is that you're going to disappear because at some point the combustion engines will run out.

"So I mean, there is no doubt that there is a climate change, that the clock is ticking and we need to start fixing this fast – the solutions that's there, the technology there, at the moment is in that battery-electric vehicles."