Tuesday 10th September 2019

Cupra Tavascan | Frankfurt 2019

Well, at least there's no danger of this looking like a rebadged SEAT...

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Cupra's ambition as a "unique and special car brand" is nothing if not bold: following on from the Ateca SUV and the 600hp Cupra e-Racer, it will launch three models next year, all electrified. One of those will be the Formentor PHEV seen earlier in 2019, one an as-yet-unannounced hybrid and the third will be this, the all-electric Tavascan - just revealed at Frankfurt.

Named after a village in the Pyrenees, the Tavascan taps into that coupe SUV niche that seemingly knows no bounds in terms of success right now. Indeed Cupra believes that the all-electric coupe SUV sector - yes, that really is a thing - will grow by 15 per cent a year in the 2020s. So best get used to them.

The Tavascan is built on VW's MEB electric architecture, using a 77kWh battery pack to supply a pair of electric motors - one for each axle. Peak output is a claimed 306hp, sufficient for 0-62mph in less than 6.5 seconds. Perhaps more relevantly, Cupra is claiming a range of 450km, or 280 miles, on the WLTP test.

A "truly dynamic drive" is promised for the Tavascan because the battery pack is in the floor, as well as "a level of sophistication and emotion not yet seen in the market." Though not confirmed, we'd have to assume that's electric torque vectoring on both axles.

For now, Cupra is far keen to talk about the dramatic exterior of the Tavascan. While it would be a surprise to see the 22-inch wheels make production, the rest of the car doesn't look all that far from showroom-ready. The sloping rear end is familiar from many other SUVs of its ilk, though the Tavascan is in no danger of being mistaken for anything else. Its makers state that the car brings "muscularity and dynamism to the segment", drawing attention to the cooling vents at the front, a full-width rear light bar (because it wouldn't be 2019 without one) and the diffuser.

Note too the interior's relatively subdued look (for a concept, at least), further hinting at how close the Tavascan is to production - dominated by a large central screen, Cupra says the cabin is a "space that mixes material and technological concepts with openness and focus to create a cabin that provides the perfect balance between driver orientation and passenger comfort." Right.

Following the Tavascan's world debut, sale are due to begin in 2020. And be prepared, it would seem, for many more electric SUV coupes to follow...

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[dxg]

So the MEB platform still has the tiny fixed distance between the front axle and the a-pillar as the MQB platform, then?

I wonder just how different it actually is...

[Ultrafunkula]

So what does it transform into then?

[Daaaveee]

Looks great.

I'm really excited to see all the new EVs due in the next few years. I need something a bit bigger than my i3 to upgrade to in the next year so keeping my eyes peeled for that, it looks like this could be in the running.

[Fetchez la vache]

What's the guessing that once the production engineers and accountants actually sit down in the meeting with the designers this will transform into an amorphous blob?

i.e. "We can't actually physically make that bit there..."
and
"That bit there costs too much"

Other than that, like it!

[scottydoesntknow]

Like the look of that.

[unsprung]

Hang on a minute.

How do they get that "Death Race 2000" front fascia past the EU regulations on pedestrian impact?

Otherwise, I quite like the sexy coupe lines of this crossover (man-eating jaws and all).

[Hairymonster]

"all-electric coupe SUV sector"

There's an answer to a question nobody asked.

[Cupramax]

FFS stop making concepts and build the blood things, if VW spent as much money on building batteries as it does sodding about with concepts itd have the market sewn up by now.

[drmike37]

Profile looks suspiciously like a Jag I-Pace?

[Harrison-91xcg]

Electrification - I get it
Futurist Interior - I get it
Performance to match - I get it
Uniqueness - I get it


The logo I don't get
The Copper I don't get
Pushing the Cupra brand out of Seat to push FWD hot hatch punters in the Golf Gti direction - I get
Using the Cupra brand to launch something which does not represent Cupra's origins - I don't get