- Cupra is ditching bright colors to maintain a specific brand identity.
- Color palette of future models will include moody matte tones.
- Brand’s creative boss says they will leave reds and yellows to Ferrari.
There was a time when ordering a Cupra in a bright yellow felt like the whole point. Those days are over. The VW Group’s mainstream performance brand has decided its future cars will arrive only in a tightly curated palette of moodier shades, a move chosen to put more distance between Cupra and its Seat origins.
Before it became a standalone brand in 2018, Cupra used to be the go-to badge for sporty variants of Seat models. Early hot hatches based on the Ibiza and the Leon were offered in vibrant yellow shades that eventually became synonymous with the Cupra name.
Review: Cupra’s Top Terramar Is A More Exciting Tiguan That’s Slower Than The One Below It
However, the company has taken a different route in recent years, introducing copper accents as a signature trait and gradually transitioning to a more muted color palette.
No More Red And Yellow
Francesca Sangalli, Head of Color and Trim at Seat and Cupra, spoke to Autocar about their strategy: “Cupra is about neutral color with a twist, and this is why we give much more importance to matte finishes and the very oily treatment of color.”
More: Cupra’s Raval Rivals The Alpine A290, And Comes With A Trick Differential
A red or yellow Cupra, she confirmed, is not coming back. “We will leave that to Ferrari or other brands with strong colors. This is linked to their brand identity, but for us, this doesn’t fit”.
Buyer pushback does not appear to worry her. The thinking is that the people drawn to the brand are drawn to what the brand already is, and the restricted swatch book comes with the territory.
Almost Ready For The Switch
While the Terramar was launched with a Desire red option, the rest of the Cupra lineup is already consistent with the new rule. In fact, the Manganese Green Matte of the new Raval and the Dark Forest of the facelifted Born are among the few non-grayscale colors with sophisticated names.
More: Seat Just Gave Its Two Best Sellers A More Premium Glow Up
Seat, meanwhile, is doing the opposite. The refreshed Ibiza and Arona can be had in Liminar Red, Hypnotic Yellow, and Fiord Blue, the sort of names Cupra has now sworn off entirely.
Cupra is not alone in taking colour seriously as a strategic question. Fiat made its own announcement back in 2023, declaring it would stop selling grey cars in the interest of livelier roads.
