Cupra is all about affordable cars, funky styling, electrified performance

"So we are part of Volkswagen Group. We have factories all across the whole planet. We have Mexican factories. We have US factories. Even Volkswagen Group is ramping up additional factories in the United States. We have European factories," Schuwirth said.

The original plan was to import one model from Mexico and one model from Europe, but now "I think the only mantra for the future is we need to remain flexible because no one knows what is slightly changing, whether we like it or we don't like it. I mean, we cannot influence it, but it's not changing our plan overall," he said.

When it does, it won't be with the Cupras that are finding friends in Europe. The Formentor is a rather cool little crossover/hatchback, available with either a 48 V mild hybrid (starting at under $32,000 or 28,000 euros) or a plug-in hybrid (starting at under $49,000 or 43,000 euro) powertrain.

It uses VW Group's ubiquitous MQB platform, and the driving experience is midway between a GTI-badged VW and one of Audi's S models. But the interior was a much more interesting place to be than either an Audi or a VW, with details like full carbon fiber seatbacks and a matte paint that drew plenty of attention in a city with outré automotive tastes.

But Cupra reckons the Formentor is too small for US car buyers, and that's a pretty safe bet. That also means you can forget about the Cupra Born EV coming here. I didn't drive Cupra's Terramar but probably should have; this is an SUV that is about as small as Cupra thinks will sell in the US.

Did you say new customers?

Cupra's plan does not include stealing customers from existing VW brands—they are in their 50s on average, and Cupra is targeting a demographic that's about a decade younger. The aforementioned focus on design is one way it's going about attracting those new customers. The company is based in Barcelona, one of the more design-focused cities in the world, and it's leaning into that, teaming up with local designers in cities where it maintains one of its "brand houses."