OPINION | Is CUPRA starting a new Trend for Automotive Retail?

CUPRA Launches its First UK 'City Garage' in Manchester City Centre

The automotive industry is undoubtedly changing, and I'm not exclusively referring to powertrains switching from ICE to EV or vehicle sizes transforming from mostly small hatchbacks to mostly large SUVs. Last week, I was invited to attend the opening of CUPRA's new 'City Garage' in Manchester, a space in the heart of Manchester City Centre that represents a potential new version of automotive retail. The City Garage, although incredibly impressive, left me with mixed feelings and a few unanswered questions.

CUPRA certainly isn't the first manufacturer to have a stab at putting cars in shop windows. In recent years, Tesla, Polstar, and JLR have all attempted to showcase their cars to people who set out to buy a new pair of shoes, but I have yet to be convinced that it works any better than the conventional roadside showroom. I've certainly been guilty of splurging on a new pair of trainers thanks to a shop window display, but I'm not sure I'd share the same impulse by parting with £30k+ on a whim for a new car because it looked good through the glass.

The way we, as consumers, purchase cars is ever-changing. A multitude of new EV’s can be ordered on a mobile app with deposits paid via Apple Pay. Many other brands will happily let you specify and customise cars on a website before delivering one to your home address for a try-before-you-buy trial period. You can even now buy a new family car on Amazon whilst ordering a new multipack of kitchen roll.

What makes things even more confusing for CUPRA's latest venture, though, is the use of the word 'Garage', as it doesn't directly represent the venue's intended usage at all. It's not a garage. You can't service your CUPRA at the site, and perhaps even more surprising to some is the fact that the space isn't created to sell cars either. Chances are, you might see a car in the City Garage, which sits proudly opposite the luxury jewellers and watch dealers on Manchester's St Ann Street, but if you were to wander in for a browse, the chances of being approached by a salesperson to indirectly ask if there is a particular model you're looking for is extremely slim.

So, what is it?

The Manchester City Garage is the 12th of its kind to open in a city centre, following previous branches in Barcelona, Mexico City, Istanbul, Vienna, Paris, Munich, Milan, Lisbon, Rotterdam, Berlin, and, very recently, Sydney. Passers would be forgiven for assuming the space is a pop-up shop; however, like the 11 other City Garages around the world, this one is a permanent fixture for Manchester. 

From the outside, the Manchester City Garage resembles a cross between a bar, a coffee shop and a retail space - and in a roundabout way, that's a good thing because it's actually all three. There is a central bar with what looks like beer taps, except rather than pouring fashionable lagers and IPAs, they actually serve healthy, locally sourced drinks full of ingredients I don't quite understand, like kombucha and probiotics. I enjoyed a smoothie filled with cherries and collagen, which is apparently beneficial for my skin - that's something I've never been offered in an automotive environment until now. Beyond the non-alcoholic bar are clothing rails filled with CUPRA-embossed t-shirts and jumpers, and glass cases filled with CUPRA-branded bracelets and jewellery. There were even 3D-printed sneakers and a metallic gold backpack on display, CUPRA-branded, of course. 

Downstairs in the basement of the shop/bar/coffee shop is an open space large enough to host live music for an intimate audience or open mic sessions. There is also an additional bar on the lower level, as well as a sofa seating area. The CUPRA team made a point of explaining that this space is available to hire for everything from live music acts to book groups and even dance classes. The venue even offers a list of activities available for locals to book, including 'Rhythm and Rest Yoga', 'First Light Pilates,' and an 'Orb Run Club,' all of which are on-site and none of which sound like the sort of activity one would expect to be offered beside a new car. What the CUPRA marketing team were keen to promote was the fact that all these classes and programs are free to attend for the local community, and that is undeniably a good thing.

It's not a showroom, but you can buy a car (if you really want to)

CUPRA insists that City Garage is not a space for selling cars, but if you want to pop in and discuss a model with a specialist, then the option is there. According to CUPRA's Vice President of Sales, Sven Schuwirth, 'a few hundred cars have been sold in the City Garages already, but that's not primarily the purpose of the premises' he went on to say, 'We don't sign contracts here, if a customer is interested in learning more about a car, a lead will be created - but only if that's what the customer wants.'

For the community

CUPRA's Global Head of Communications, Cecilia Taieb, emphasised on the opening day that the space is for the local community in which it is situated. 'It's a space to be used and utilised where people can learn more about the CUPRA brand beyond just the cars we sell'.

CUPRA: A Fashion House or a Car Company?

CUPRA is edging closer to becoming a brand that wants to be proudly recognised for its design influence, in addition to being just another carmaker. Many car manufacturers have taken a similar approach, but aside from the likes of Ferrari and Porsche, very few have managed to break through and succeed in being regarded as anything more than just an apparel brand.

I'm not sure I get it (but that's okay)

If the CUPRA City Garage is used as intended by its local community, then it's no bad thing. As a space, it's stunning; the interior design, fit and finish are on par with Manchester's already thriving high-end bar and retail scene. The venue brilliantly reflects what CUPRA set out to be when it separated from SEAT back in 2020. The space, like the CUPRA brand, is undeniably cool and is likely to attract precisely the kind of interest from the sort of customers the brand wants to associate itself with.

A question was asked along the lines of 'who's footing the bill for all this?' And through a fairly lengthy explanation by CUPRA's UK Brand Director, Marcus Gossen, the answer was indirectly revealed to be the marketing department.

I see how advertisements can be measured and attributed to sales, as well as with social media campaigns and product placement in TV productions and movies. However, I struggle to see how a sizable investment in a retail space in a city centre, such as Manchester’s Jewellery Quarter, directly leads to more cars being sold, and that in itself might be the reason other manufacturers aren't doing something similar. But then, CUPRA isn't like other manufacturers. It's proud to be a bit more outlandish and daring than the rest. After all, you could go and buy the new Golf GTI like most people wanting a hot hatch will do, or you could spend a little bit more and buy the new CUPRA Leon VZ3 instead… because you want to be different and stand out.

Is this the future of automotive retail? Only time will tell, but for now, I look forward to seeing if other manufacturers follow CUPRA's lead in mixed-use retail spaces. Personally, as cool as it is… I'm yet to be convinced, but if you're ever in the area, why not stop by and see for yourself?

words by John Marcar
photography by CUPRA UK Media