Cupra was launched before the calendar switched to the 2020s to serve as SEAT’s in-house and resident performance arm – similar to the way Genesis is the luxury arm of Hyundai, for example. However, as SEAT and its Cupra arm fall under the Volkswagen umbrella, you can imagine there’s not a lot that separates them from other lower (as in Non-Porsche and Bugatti) VAG brands. The Cupra brand has expressed interest in separating itself from SEAT and other VW products, but so far, little movement in that direction has happened. After all, the Cupra Born, the company’s first EV, looks so similar to the Volkswagen ID.3 that it might as well be a fancy rebadge job at best. But, with so many brands under the VAG umbrella, what if the company borrowed technology from other brands, like say… Porsche?

A Cupra with Porsche Underpinnings?

After seeing how similar the Cupra Born looks to the VW ID.3, it’s clear that Cupra is right for wanting to distance itself from within the Volkswagen group. Sporty handling and performance, as well as the brand’s bold styling, does help, but it only goes so far. This has got us thinking about whether or not Cupra could perhaps benefit from other premium brands under the umbrella, and apparently, we weren’t the only ones. Autocar’s team actually asked Cupra’s CEO, Wayne Griffiths, if he could imagine a Cupra EV riding on a Porsche-developed platform like the PPE platform. After all, it will underpin the Porsche Macan EV, the Audi Q6 E-Tron, and even the Audi A6 among many others.

His response was quite interesting: “We’re a very sporty brand, so sporty solutions are good for us, I have to admit I like the Porsche idea but it was your idea, not mine. Don’t say it was mine.” Along with this he also eluded that Cupra must go a “step further” than rebadging other VW group products, and we have to admit that we have to agree.

Unfortunately, there’s a good chance that the Porsche PPE platform will never filter down to SEAT or Cupra, at least not until it has aged to the point that it’s almost obsolete. And, while a Porsche-Cupra tie-up of any kind sits just barely on this side of the line that separates fiction and nonfiction, one can certainly hope, right? Either way, it’s nice to know that if the opportunity arises, Cupra’s CEO will at least be willing to make good use of the technology.