2022 Cupra Ateca detailed

The next brand to enter the bustling Australian market, Cupra, has released details on one of the three models it’ll launch with.

The Volkswagen Group’s performance brand will launch here mid-year.

The Cupra Ateca small SUV, a sporty version of Seat’s counterpart to the Skoda Karoq, will be available here with one powertrain and one trim level.

Pricing has yet to be announced, though Cupra will use a fixed pricing model.

It’ll rely on online sales backed by a network of what the Spanish brand is calling Cupra City Garages, staffed by Cupra Masters who’ll look after customers through their purchase.

The brand will also back its cars with a five-year warranty.

The Ateca VZx uses a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine with 221kW of power and 400Nm of torque.

It’s mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission and all-wheel drive, with a claimed 0-100km/h time of 4.9 seconds.

It’s the only Cupra that won’t be available with an electrified powertrain Down Under.

Both the small Leon hatch and mid-sized Formentor SUV will offer plug-in hybrids, while the Born – due here later in 2022 – is an electric vehicle.

The Ateca’s single trim level is well-equipped, with options limited to a panoramic sunroof, Brembo brakes and an Akrapovic exhaust.

“By offering one fully-loaded variant, we can give customers the very best the brand has to offer in terms of tech, driving experience and style, while maintaining simple to understand model offering for our local launch,” said Cupra Australia’s head of product and planning, Jeff Shafer.

The Ateca was Cupra’s first model as a standalone brand, with the Spanish marque previously a trim level on certain Seat models.

It was launched in 2018, two years after the launch of the Seat Ateca it’s based on. That makes it the oldest member of the Cupra line-up.