Cupra Tavascan: The Spanish Enyaq – Preview

It remains a special brand, that Cupra. What was once Seat’s sporty label has been a real brand since 2018. That started somewhat reluctantly with the Cupra Ateca, a converted and fast Seat Ateca, but Cupra now owns a few ‘own’ models. Although, ‘own’ … actually only the Cupra Formentor is really unique. Although the fully electric Cupra Born is not based on a Seat either, it shares its midship, platform and technology with the Volkswagen ID3. The Tavascan will be the big brother of the Born and will be on the same MEB platform. The images on these pages are still ‘artist’s impressions’, but the production model will not deviate much from them. How do we know? Well, Cupra itself showed the Tavascan briefly and from a great distance when it presented its future plans last summer. That’s how we know what his name will be.

Always ‘coupe’

The fact that it is the technical brother of the Volkswagens ID4 and ID5, Skoda Enyaq and Audi Q4 e-tron is our own interpretation. Yet there is little guesswork required, because the wheelbase is exactly the same as that of the mentioned models. Furthermore, leaked patent sketches show the typical MEB car drum brakes at the rear and the Tavascan even takes over the door handles from Volkswagen’s larger EVs. The Cupra marketeers will undoubtedly use the relatively streamlined body shape and liftback-like rear to use the term ‘coupé’. The choice for this shape fits well with the sporty approach of the Cupra brand and is most likely standard. Where Volkswagen offers the ID5 as a ‘coupé’ alternative to the ID4, Skoda has the Enyaq Coupé and Audi has the Q4 Sportback, Cupra sticks to this one variant. With its aggressive headlights, sharp creases and pointed corners, it has clear similarities with the current Cupra range, but there are still major differences. For example, the nose gets a separate motif that should make up for the loss of a grille. Higher up the front, in what would once have been the bonnet, we find two real ‘holes’. They must undoubtedly guide the air over the bodywork in a favorable manner, but above all they simply look tough.

At the rear, one detail catches the eye: the Cupra logo has been applied for the first time in history on a panel with a matching triangular shape. All existing Cupras have a badge on the back in the form of the Seat logo, even if the model in question was never delivered as a Seat. Indeed, that is remarkable.

Cupra already briefly showed the Tavascan

Under the skin, we should not expect major differences with the existing EVs from Volkswagen, Skoda and Audi. Anyone who wants to know with which powertrains it will soon be available should probably take a good look at the ID5. It always has a battery pack of 77 kWh, good for a range of over 500 km. The rear-wheel drive variant delivers 174 or 204 hp, the GTX with two electric motors and four-wheel drive kicks it up to 299 hp. In the ID4, a slightly milder variant has recently become available with two electric motors, good for 265 hp. Cupra may add a software boost for its sporty top version for a handful of extra horsepower, but certainly don’t count on too much news in this area. After all, Cupra keeps itself in check with the Born and even the slower drivetrains of the ID3 are available.

Also outside Europe

The Cupra Tavascan will appear on the market in 2024, according to the makers. At Cupra they are undoubtedly looking forward to that moment, because this will be a very important model for the brand. As a medium-sized electric crossover, it not only competes with the aforementioned alternatives from its own stable, but also with the Kia EV6 and Hyundai Ioniq 5. Unlike the smaller class of the Born, this segment is in demand worldwide and Cupra is keen to exploit that . With the Tavascan, the Spanish brand is tapping into new markets, including outside Europe. The car has everything it takes to play a major role in achieving Cupra’s ultimate goal, which is to sell 500,000 units per year.