The words uttered on one occasion by Josep Lluís Núñez, historic president of FC Barcelona, when he referred to Barcelona saying it was "this city that has the honor of bearing the name of our club" are well-known—and still quoted with a smile today. A funny slip of the tongue that, deep down, explains quite well the extent to which Barcelona and Barça have projected a shared identity throughout the world. What is the first thing people tell us when we travel and explain that we are from Barcelona? "Barça?" Well now, perhaps in a while it will not be unthinkable that, when talking about the Raval neighborhood, the answer will be: "Cupra?" "Electric car?".
"Today we take a step forward to democratize electric mobility with a vehicle made in Catalonia." With this phrase, President Salvador Illa inaugurated this Thursday morning the launch of the CUPRA Raval, in an institutional event at CASA SEAT that also brought together Minister Jordi Hereu, Mayor Jaume Collboni and the company's CEO, Markus Haupt. A formal start to a day that, as the hours passed, would transform into a European-scale brand operation and that, in the same SEAT facilities, would end to the rhythm of perreo, with Nathy Peluso on stage.
Because what was being presented was not just a new electric model. For SEAT and CUPRA, the Raval concentrates a large part of the industrial expectations for the coming years: the first 100% electric vehicle manufactured in Martorell, with a vocation for volume and with the explicit objective of expanding access to electromobility.
But the CUPRA Raval goes beyond a simple launch. It is, probably, the most important industrial project of the company in recent decades. The first electric car designed, developed and manufactured entirely in Spain, and a key commitment for the company to regain profitability and strengthen its role within the Volkswagen group in the new era of electric mobility. In this model, SEAT is playing not only for sales, but for industrial positioning.
In business terms, the figures help to size up the bet. The group has allocated more than 3 billion euros to this project, which becomes one of the central pieces of its transformation towards electric. Haupt himself defined it as the "backbone" of the business in the coming years, key to recovering profitability and balancing the portfolio at a time when the energy transition is pressuring margins and demanding volume.
"The company aims to sell some 40,000 units of the model as early as 2026"
Forecasts also point high: the company aims to sell some 40,000 units of the model as early as 2026, and trusts that the Raval will be decisive in raising the weight of electrified vehicles in SEAT and CUPRA's total sales to 25%. It is not just a commercial objective; it is a strategic necessity in the European context, where regulation and competition are accelerating the change of model.
In this sense, the CUPRA Raval does not play alone. It is part of a new generation of urban electric vehicles within the Volkswagen group, but it is, probably, the one with the greatest symbolic load for the company: where part of the industrial future is at stake, but also its capacity to grow again with profitability in the new electric era.
The most chameleon-like CUPRA: from institutional discourse to Nathy Peluso's perreo
This "step forward" was staged with an unusual display. The institutional event in the morning —with messages about industry, electrification, and strategic autonomy— was just the starting point of a much broader operation. CUPRA activated a simultaneous presentation in 12 European cities, combining urban events and music to amplify the impact of the launch.
In Barcelona, the nerve center of the day was the double scene. On one hand, Nathy Peluso's open concert in Plaça Catalunya, which connected the car with the public and with the urban energy that the brand wants to project. On the other, the closing at CASA SEAT —temporarily renamed CASA CUPRA RAVAL— with a private event that had generated anticipation days before, but which did not reveal its main attraction until the very morning.
At night, Peluso returned to the stage in an intimate format before an audience that mixed digital creators, cultural profiles, and well-known faces from the city, such as Paula Gonu, Luc Loren, Jonan Wiergo, Tatiana Kaer, ByViruzz, as well as Daniel Brühl or Marc-André ter Stegen. The space was transformed into an immersive experience: catering by Maldita Barra, cocktails, live tattoos with Tatoox, t-shirt printing, and the vehicle itself on display to touch and explore.
More than a celebration, a staging designed to make the product tangible and, above all, its story.
Barcelona, setting and plot
The launch of the CUPRA Raval also reinforces Barcelona's role within the company's strategy. Not only as a presentation venue, but as part of the concept. The model is explicitly inspired by the Raval neighborhood and an idea of a city associated with creativity, mix, and its own identity.
This connection is not minor. At a time when the automotive industry also competes in narrative, Barcelona functions as an asset: it provides context, positioning, and a cultural layer that goes beyond the product. The fact that the launch combines institutions, industry, and the creative scene reinforces this interpretation.
Thus, between the institutional tone of the morning and the staging of the afternoon, the debut of the CUPRA Raval outlines a clear strategy: it is not enough to manufacture an electric car; it must be explained, positioned, and connected with a community.
All of this, under a motto that well summarizes the ambition of the project: beyond rebel, Raval.
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