New Cupra SUV will become the brand’s fully-electric flagship

Cupra will aim higher than ever before as it tries to break into the US market with a plus-sized electric SUV that will also be sold in Europe, Auto Express can reveal.

Speaking at the global premiere of the Terramar SUV, Cupra CEO Wayne Griffiths told us the brand will need something completely new to launch its American assault towards the end of the decade. 

Yet economic pressures from within the Volkswagen Group would mean any such product would also need to find customers closer to home. While a large SUV may not have the mainstream appeal of compact EV crossovers, the margins are greater, signalling the potential for strong profits for the Spanish brand.

“We would have to [sell it] in Europe, we can’t just sell in the US,” Griffiths told us. “The US on its own wouldn’t be big enough for us.”

The car’s exact form is still under discussion, but our exclusive images preview how the new model might look. Dr Werner Tietz, vice-president for research and development at Cupra, said the firm is working on “multiple concepts; concepts that are different” – suggesting that the as-yet-unnamed car could form part of a range of new models.

Sven Schuwirth, Cupra’s executive VP for sales and marketing, told  us: “There will be something in our portfolio which you haven’t seen so far. There is a growing mindset of people who say ‘Okay, it’s game over for what we have written for decades – here is something different’. It’s needed in the market, and we try to apply it. It’s a challenge, but I think it’s a huge opportunity for the brand.

“We are not ones for being a bit more rational, or building more function-oriented cars,” Schuwirth told us. “We keep emotional body styles; we continue to somehow reinvent existing body styles. What we did with Formentor, or what we did with DarkRebel – we merged a shooting brake with a coupé. We will continue to do the same.”

Given the popularity of SUVs, both in the US and Europe, that part of the design is all but guaranteed. The new car will be a five-seater, however, as Griffiths confirmed in no uncertain terms. He told us: “For the second generation of electric cars on the new platform, for the US, we would need a bigger crossover-SUV. But not in terms of seven seats. We have other brands in the VW Group that can do that; Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles or whatever,” he said.

So while the wheelbase would most likely stretch to as much as three metres, and the overall length to a Porsche Cayenne or VW Touareg-challenging 4.9 metres, the priority for Cupra would be to offer superior cabin space and a large boot. Dismissing the need to fit a third row of seats would allow the brand’s designers to offer a Lotus Eletre-like sloping roof, tailing off beyond the C-pillars for a coupé-style rear end.

Despite this being a “second-generation” electric Cupra, we expect the new model to look to the likes of the upcoming Raval small car – as well as the recently revealed Tavascan – for design inspiration. That means a similarly sharp front end, with triangular elements embedded in the car’s LED lights, plus more acute angles down the flanks contrasting with a set of flush door handles. Extensive copper detailing – a brand signature for more than a decade – will also mark this car out as a Cupra.

But as with the electric-only Tavascan, we don’t expect Cupra to shout too loudly about its flagship’s EV credentials. We may see a slightly smoother nose, but vents and air intakes are likely to form part of the brand’s design language long into the electric era.

The rear should see the continued use of a full-width LED light bar, as well as the now-familiar illuminated Cupra logo. Rather than being emblazoned on the bootlid – that space will be reserved for the ‘Cupra’ lettering – the model name is set to be subtly referenced in a small font on the outer edge of the tail-lights. An active spoiler may feature at the base of the rear window – much like the one found on the Cayenne Coupé.

The dynamism in the car’s design will be reflected in the way it drives, too. Dr Tietz told us: “For me, the basis of Cupra is fun to drive, so this is what will always be in our product; the sportiest offer in the segment. This story has to continue, this link has to be there. Otherwise you end up doing what everyone else is doing.”

At this stage, the car’s platform and powertrain layout are unconfirmed, but it’s likely – given Griffiths’ comments – that the super-sized Cupra will sit on the VW Group’s forthcoming SSP (Scalable Systems Platform) architecture. These underpinnings will eventually replace the well-utilised MEB (mainstream) and PPE (premium) tool kits, and be the “single backbone for the Group”, as former VW boss Herbert Diess confirmed in 2021.

As Cupra’s new flagship, the large SUV is sure to get the Group’s most cutting-edge technology, including a range of rear and dual-motor models – possibly with 500bhp or more. It’ll also feature new-generation battery and charging tech, with range-toppers featuring units with a capacity of up to 100kWh. That should mean a quoted WLTP range of at least 400 miles, possibly a little more if VW and its subsidiaries can reduce weight and improve efficiency.

It’s impossible at this stage to comment with any confidence on how Cupra’s new-age interior might look, but given the brand is, according to Griffiths, selling to an audience “on average, one generation younger [than the rest of the VW Group]” it’s certain to trade heavily on integrated in-car tech and significant screen real estate – both for the instruments and infotainment. Elsewhere, we can expect the driver-oriented layout, figure-hugging sports seats and dark theme with copper accents to be carried over, along with extensive use of ambient cabin lighting.

The car’s reveal date is still firmly under wraps, but Griffiths has said it’ll be ready “by the end of the decade, which will fit with the next-generation of electric cars.” 

Given its positioning, a price well north of £50,000 is possible, without Cupra stepping on sister brand Audi’s toes. VZ versions with the biggest battery and most powerful motors, could reasonably stray closer to £65k when fully loaded with a few options.

Before the company’s large SUV launches, Cupra will turn its attention to the Raval supermini – a car measuring a fraction longer than four metres, but with the interior space of a Leon. It’s due to be unveiled in the next 18 months, and will sit alongside similar offerings from Skoda and VW.

But if all this sounds a bit sensible, Schuwirth told us not to write off an electric Cupra sports car – possibly in the vein of last year’s DarkRebel concept. “We still have that dream, 

so let’s see,” he told us. “We need to find the right time, and to be honest, now is time to earn more money and to look at the financial sustainability of the whole company. “Then, once we’ve done that, we have enough money to invest in an extension of the portfolio,” he said.

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