Cupra announced plans to release an electric crossover in September 2019 with the unveiling of the Tavascan concept at the Frankfurt Motor Show. In March 2021, the Spanish brand announced plans to launch a production version in 2024. Last year in June, the road model was briefly shown on stage at the brand’s Unstoppable Impulse event. Later the same month, spies caught a test mule carrying the body of the VW ID.4.
The prototype caught this week in northern Sweden appears to have the full production body and final lights. As expected, it doesn’t look as sleek as the concept, but it does appear to be less bulbous than the mechanically linked VW ID.5 GTX and Skoda Enyaq Coupe iV. We feel like it’s a bit smaller than its two MEB-based siblings and rolls on the same turbine-style wheels from the concept, though we’re not sure if they’re the same size (22 inches).
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Cupra’s second electric vehicle after the Born compact hatchback was designed and developed in Barcelona and is expected to feature a twin-motor setup. The youngest brand in the VW group wants to be a sportier alternative to VW and Skoda, so it should at least match the electric punch delivered by the ID.5 GTX and Enyaq Coupe RS. Therefore, look for a twin-motor setup with just over 300 hp and around 460 Newton-meters (338 lb-ft) of torque.
With Cupra saying it will have the Tavascan on sale in Europe and other markets in 2024, the production version is expected to be unveiled later this year. The electric crossover will be made in China at a new VW Group plant in Anhui where MEB-based models will be assembled. The plant has an annual capacity of 350,000 electric vehicles and will begin mass production in the second half of 2023.
Cupra Tavascan production version
Cupra Tavascan production version
The Tavascan isn’t the only new addition to the Cupra range as the Terramar is also arriving in 2024. Set to be the brand’s last new model to feature a combustion engine, it will be a plug-in hybrid crossover paired with the next generation Audi Q3. In fact, it is going to be built by the Four Rings at the Győr factory in Hungary.
