Although Cupra may have only split from SEAT as a stand-alone brand in 2018, the company has been a relative success within the VW Group stable and key to its promising future will be electrification with models like this new Tavascan.
We expect this all-electric coupe-SUV to hit the roads in 2024 and Cupra has already shown it off at a behind-closed-doors event, but a new teaser video gives us another look at the Tavascan.
It will essentially be Cupra’s answer to the Volkswagen ID.4 and the Skoda Enyaq iV, sitting on the same MEB platform as those cars. Like Cupra’s other all-electric car, the Born, the production version of the Tavascan will look similar to the 2019 concept.
The exterior design integrates what the brand calls a ‘helmet’ style daylight opening and a specific black fascia at the front, unique for Tavascan. The rear features a light bar with a light-up Cupra badge in the middle. There’s also a lip spoiler on the boot and a diffuser-style rear bumper.
Unlike the other Cupra SUV, the Terramar, the brand has revealed the interior for the Tavascan, claiming that it will be a quite different environment to other SUVs using the MEB platform.
The cabin takes strong influence from the concept car, defined by a floating bridge reaching up from the centre console and flowing into the dashboard. Plenty of Cupra’s signature copper colour is used in the interior trim, while the large central touchscreen and compact digital instrument panel are both typical carry-over items for cars on the MEB platform.
Specifications have not yet been revealed, but the Tavascan is all but certain to leverage Cupra’s position as a sporty brand within the VW Group, and will likely be offered with the same powertrain as used in the hot Volkswagen ID.4 GTX. This means a 295bhp all-wheel-drive electric set-up fed by a 77kWh battery. The 0-62mph sprint should take just over six seconds, while a range of around 300 miles on a full charge should be possible.
The battery and motor combinations of the MEB platform mean that less powerful, lower range but ultimately cheaper versions of the Tavascan should be possible.
Sister brand Volkswagen has confirmed a round of updates for the MEB platform, however, and these could be ready by the time the Tavascan arrives on sale in 2024. Key targets include an upgraded maximum range of 435 miles, but this will likely be reserved for a long-wheelbase saloon model intended to sit as an electric version of the Passat.
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