An updated version of Cupra’s best seller, the Formentor, has been spied testing ahead of an expected 2024 introduction.
This latest prototype is wearing stickers to hide its cosmetic updates, but Cupra has already teased the front of an undisguised Formentor.
Its darkened headlights feature an unusual new LED daytime running light signature that consist of three separate triangles, which we can see on this prototype.
Other changes, however, are largely hidden behind camouflage.
This new grille, for example, appears to be hiding behind a large black overlay on the prototype, but as we have previously seen, the grille has been moved lower and features distinctive vertical bars finished in gloss black.
The front bumper, consequently, has a distinctly different look from the outgoing car.
Missing from this prototype, which appears to be a plug-in hybrid, are the front fog lights which will be located underneath the front bumper crease.
At the rear, there are stickers covering the tail lights, suggesting a new design is coming.
The tailgate has tape in the middle where the Cupra logo is located, and the rear bumper may still be a prototype unit.
There is a new development to the dual exhaust design that suggests Cupra might opt for a squared-off look over its current circular shape.
The interior is expected to receive a larger infotainment display similar to other vehicles within the broader Volkswagen Group portfolio.
Cupra hasn’t released any information about the updated Formentor’s powertrains and if there will be any changes.
The Formentor isn’t set to get an electric powertrain during this generation, however Cupra CEO Wayne Griffiths has confirmed the next-generation Formentor and Leon will come with electric power – and will keep their names.
The current model is offered with both petrol and plug-in hybrid powertrains. In Australia, there are three turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder variants, with either front- or all-wheel drive depending on the model; there’s also a turbo 1.4-litre four-cylinder plug-in hybrid in the VZe.
The current Formentor only entered production in September 2020 and arrived in Australia in mid-July 2022.
The Formentor is also far and away Cupra’s best-selling model. It accounted for 63.8 per cent of the brand’s global sales in 2022, with 97,600 units.
In Australia, Cupra sold 690 Formentors in 2022 – accounting for 62 per cent of its sales.