Cupra goals to promote 70,000 items a 12 months worldwide of the Tavascan coupe-styled midsize SUV, the Volkswagen Group model’s second full-electric mannequin.
The Tavascan, which shall be in-built China and exported to Europe, is underpinned by VW Group’s MEB full-electric platform and is a sibling mannequin to the VW ID5 and Skoda Enyaq Coupe iV. It’s Cupra’s second mannequin based mostly on MEB after the Born hatchback.
The manufacturing model of the Tavascan was proven at an occasion in Berlin on Friday; the automobile was first proven as an idea on the 2019 Frankfurt auto present.
It is going to be in-built a VW Group’s three way partnership manufacturing unit in Anhui, China. It is going to be the primary automobile produced there.
The Tavascan is because of go on sale in Europe within the first half of 2024, with first deliveries after the summer time. Proper-hand drive markets will observe barely later.
Rivals are anticipated to incorporate a mixture of mainstream and premium fashions, together with the ID5, the Tesla Mannequin Y, the Ford Mustang Mach-E and the Audi This fall e-tron.
Cupra’s goal is to promote 70,000 items in a full 12 months, Cupra and Seat CEO Wayne Griffiths mentioned on the occasion. The model bought about 31,000 compact Born EVs final 12 months, when general gross sales have been up 93 p.c to 152,900. The Formentor compact SUV was the best-selling mannequin, with about 98,000 gross sales.
The midsize SUV segments have been boosted by the arrival of full-electric fashions such because the VW ID4 and ID5, Skoda Enyaq iV, Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6, and the Mustang Mach-E (see chart, beneath). The mainstream midsize/massive section was up 5.5 p.c in 2022, in keeping with figures from Dataforce; the premium midsize SUV section was up 20.5 p.c.
Griffiths mentioned {that a} closing worth for the Tavascan had not but been determined, citing volatility within the EV market, however he mentioned it might be “competitively” priced to attain Cupra’s quantity goal.
Tesla has repeatedly reduce costs for its Mannequin Y in Europe, the place it may be purchased for about 45,000 euros. These cuts assist carry the Mannequin Y to develop into Europe’s best-selling automobile general within the first quarter.
Synergies with the VW Group in China will assist the Tavascan compete on worth, he mentioned, with a closing determine that shall be “someplace between the mass and premium segments” of the market, or between VW and Audi.
“The Anhui manufacturing unit was the plant with the proper capability and expertise on the time of manufacturing planning,” VW mentioned in an announcement Friday, including it has no plans to provide different automobiles in China for export.
The Tavascan shall be accessible in two variations with totally different energy outputs: the 210 kW (282 hp) Endurance and 250 kW (335 hp) VZ. The VZ has dual-motor all-wheel drive, whereas the Endurance model has a single electrical motor powering the rear wheels.
Each variations have a 77 kilowatt-hour battery pack, shared with different VW group’s fashions, that provides a variety of as much as 550 km (344 miles) for the Endurance and 520 km for the VZ.
For the VZ model, acceleration from 0 to 100 kph (62 mph) is about 5.6 seconds, Cupra mentioned.
Cupra says the Tavascan marks a shift within the model’s design language that can switch to future EVs. The Tavascan’s “unconventional fashion may not please everyone; while you wish to create one thing distinctive, you may’t please everyone,” Cupra design boss Jorge Diez mentioned.
He in contrast the low-slung entrance finish, with the Cupra illuminated brand on the heart, to the masks of a superhero. Black A pillars create a “helmet” impact of a wraparound windshield.
The Tavascan is 4,644nmm lengthy, 1,861 mm broad, 1,597 mm excessive and has a wheelbase of two,766 mm. The ID5, as compared, is 4,599 mm lengthy and 1,615 mm excessive.
Cupra’s lineup will develop within the subsequent two years with three new fashions, together with the Tavascan. The Terramar SUV will attain the market; it is going to be accessible in each combustion-engine and plug-in hybrid variations. It is going to be constructed at VW Group’s manufacturing unit in Gyor, Hungary, alongside the Audi Q3 Sportback on which it’s based mostly.
Cupra CEO Wayne Griffiths mentioned in March that the Terramar might be seen as a potential alternative for the present Ateca compact SUV, though at 4500 mm it’s longer than the Ateca.
A very powerful new mannequin will are available 2025 with a small full electrical hatchback that was previewed by the City Insurgent idea. The hatchback shall be based mostly on the identical VW Group MEB Entry platform that can underpin the approaching VW ID2. Each fashions shall be assembled in Seat’s Martorell plant, close to Barcelona, after an funding of three billion euros.