Cupra Tavascan tests in extreme weather ahead of 2024 launch
The Tavascan was pictured with camouflage but its shape, evolved from the original 2019 concept, is clear to see
Radical 302bhp electric SUV is Cupra's answer to the Volkswagen ID 5; joins smaller Born and UrbanRebel EVs
The Cupra Tavascan, the firm’s upcoming SUV-coupé, has been spotted testing in winter conditions alongside a host of other Volkswagen Group prototypes ahead of the model’s production run, which begins in 2024.
Pictured alongside a pair of Audi E-tron prototypes with which it shares the group’s MEB platform, the Tavascan test car wore a line-obscuring livery.
Despite that, it’s clear Cupra’s second electric car will feature styling evolved from the concept revealed at the Geneva motor show in 2019.
The model’s silhouette is slightly more straight-edged than the original concept and the front end has been toned down, but it is clearly recognisable as a relation of the firm's aggressively styled existing line-up.
Its bold styling attempts to give the EV a different focal point from combustion-engined models, while the sculpting is honed for aerodynamic efficiency. The rear also features a steeply raked screen and a distinctive bumper shape.
Cupra hasn’t revealed any performance or powertrain details for the production version of the Tavascan, but the concept featured a dual-motor 302bhp electric powertrain.
This provides the Tavascan with an output similar to that of the Volkswagen ID 5 GTX, the all-wheel-drive performance version of VW’s flagship electric car and sibling car to the Tavascan and the Skoda Enyaq vRS. It also uses a 77kWh battery to offer a range of around 280 miles.
The Tavascan could be offered with a range of battery sizes and power outputs, but given Cupra's performance focus, the model is likely to be offered with only the more powerful set-ups available within the Volkswagen Group.
The Tavascan will follow the Cupra Born hatch as the firm’s second full electric vehicle when it goes on sale in 2024. It’s considered a crucial car for the Spanish brand, which is aiming to double its 2020 sales by 2024.
The Born and the Tavascan will be sold alongside the new UrbanRebel supermini, Terramar hybrid SUV and existing Cupra Formentor.
Set to be built in China, the Tavascan will be exported to Europe, including the UK, from 2024. It will be the first Chinese-made electric car from the Volkswagen Group to be exported to other markets across the world.
In December last year, it was revealed to Autocar that the Tavascan will be built in Anhui, in a factory operated as part of a joint venture between VW and Chinese car maker JAC Motors.