Volkswagen is looking to recapture some of its sales swagger in China, and to do that, it will introduce a new brand for electric vehicles. Its first model will be a rebadged Cupra Tavascan, of which we have caught our first spy pictures.
According to a large sticker on the back of the test car, the model was spotted testing its brakes. As seen in the photos, the electric SUV shares the overall proportions and angularity of Cupra’s electric crossover coupe, but many of the smaller details differ.
For example, there are minor differences at the rear, where vertical folds in the sheet metal and the area around the license plate have been reworked. In addition, camouflage tape appears to cover a round badge, further suggesting that the vehicle will not be marketed as a Cupra in China, as has been previously reported.
Pokračujte posunutím reklamy
Up front, the differences are more pronounced. While the hood looks familiar, there is more sheet metal in the section under the light bar. Additionally, the lower grille section is much smaller and is shaped differently than the Cupra‘s.
While we do not know specifically how VW will brand the new model, it will not be marketed as a Cupra. The automaker does not want to go through the expense and uncertainty of setting up a new fully-fledged brand in China, as it tried with Jetta which failed to make an impression on the market.
However, the people in charge of the new sub-brand will be working out of the province of Anhui, China. That is where the VW plant that builds the Tavascan has already been established, making it a convenient spot.
With the rebadged Tavascan and other models to come shortly thereafter, VW hopes that it can take on domestic brands like BYD and Nio, which have recently become bigger players in the world’s largest automotive market.
Based on the same platform as the VW ID.5, the Cupra Tavascan will be available with two powertrain options. The first features a rear-mounted electric motor that delivers 282 hp (210 kW/286 PS) and 402 lb-ft (545 Nm) of torque, while the second offers all-wheel-drive thanks to a pair of motors that combine to generate 335 hp (250 kW/340 PS) and 501 lb-ft (679 Nm) of torque. Either way, drivers have access to 77 kWh of battery power.
Cupra’s upcoming electric SUV is set to be the first vehicle from the Spanish brand to be sourced from China for the Australian market.
William Stopford
Editor zpráv
7. prosince 2022, 6:19
Připojte se k Convo
Nadcházející cupra tavascan electric crossover won’t be built in Europe, with production instead confirmed for China.
“The Anhui factory was the plant with the right capacity and technology at the time of production planning,” the Volkswagen Group said in a statement published by Automotive News Europe.
The Tavascan will be exported out of China to markets like Europe, but the company says it has no plans to export any other Cupra models from there.
The company is currently working on its five-year financial plan and determining which models which will be built in which factories, with decisions impacted by the launch of its software platforms.
The Group’s software division, Cariad, has experienced significant growing pains that have led vehicle launches, like the upcoming Porsche Macan EV, to be delayed.
The lack of European production indicates the Tavascan will also be exported from China to Australia. It’s due here in 2025.
Cupra will be the latest European brand to export vehicles from China to both Europe and Australia. BMW is another with its iX3, as is (part) Chinese-owned Polestar with its 2.
It won’t be the first Volkswagen Group product sold in Australia to be sourced from China. That title goes to the Volkswagen Polo Classic sedan, sold here from 2004 to 2005, which was actually the first Chinese-built car sold in Australia.
Since then, multiple Chinese brands have entered the Australian market but non-Chinese brands have also exported vehicles from there. These include the likes of Tesla and Volvo.
The Tavascan will be the second EV sold by Cupra, and like the Born – due here next year – it’ll use the Volkswagen Group’s dedicated EV architecture, called MEB.
It’ll be launched in Australia alongside production versions of the electric UrbanRebel hatchback concept and the plug-in hybrid Terramar crossover.
In concept form, the Tavascan produced 225kW of power from its dual-motor powertrain and used a 77kWh lithium-ion battery pack, offering up to 450km of range.
The sporty Spanish brand – which sits alongside Skoda, Volkswagen, and Audi in the Volkswagen Group – wants to sell 1600 cars in Australia in 2022, and plans to grow that to 7000 cars per year by 2025.
For context, that’s more cars than Land Rover sold here last year, and about as many as Renault did. It’s an ambitious target, as it took Skoda more than a decade to hit the 7000-sale target Down Under.
Cupra is also targeting five per cent of the EV market in Australia.
Using Australia as a beachhead, Cupra wants to expand its global presence and reach 500,000 annual sales worldwide in the medium term.
Cupra started off as a trim level of SEATs, with models like the Ibiza Cupra and Leon Cupra boasting sportier looks and extra performance.
The first models to feature Cupra as a brand name and not just a trim level were similarly fettled SEATs like the Leon and Ateca, but also the Formentor – a model unique to the brand.
The SEAT El-Born concept became the production Cupra Born, and the Tavascan and Terramar have been revealed exclusively as Cupras with no SEAT versions planned.
SEAT does continue to offer its own exclusive models, however. The Ibiza, Arona and Tarraco are the Spanish brand’s counterparts to the Volkswagen Polo, T-Cross and Tiguan Allspace, respectively.
