Cupra News

Cupra confident various attributes, including design, driver feel and European heritage, will help keep its head above the water during an onslaught of new Chinese brands.

Cupra has confirmed the arrival of its second electric car and it is likely to beat the Volkswagen ID.4 and Skoda Enyaq electric cars to market. Sourced from China, the swoopy Tavascan has a seriously unique appearance next to VW or Skoda products despite using the same MEB electric-only underpinnings. Australian release is confirmed for the fourth quarter of this year and pricing is likely to kick off at $70,000 before on-road costs for the two-trim line-up. The electric SUV will come in a rear-wheel drive Endurance trim developing 210kW/545Nm and the VZ all-wheel drive brings grunt up to 250kW with no change to torque. Both will sit above the existing Formentor in the Cupra line-up and become the brand's second electric car after the Born's release.Although the Tavascan’s coupe-like silhouette isn’t groundbreaking next to the Volkswagen ID.5, Polestar 2 and Ford Capri, the details are where this Spanish car makes the difference. In images it’s difficult to tell, but in making room for the ‘bonnet bulge’, the panel has been dropped down with air flow coming through two nostrils next to the illuminated Cupra badges. Intricate LED lighting, naturally, makes an appearance. Cupra’s signature ‘helmet’ design motif with blacked-out A-pillars and a kicked up window line gives it a sporty character. Larger than a small SUV, the Tavascan measure 4644mm long, 1861mm wide, 1597mm tall and rides on a 2766mm wheelbase. Inside is Cupra’s new 12.9-inch multimedia touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto sitting proud of the car’s ‘floating’ dashboard. It is totally different from a VW electric car inside with a unique central spine textured like reptile scales, beneath it you will find practical storage and a wireless charging pad. A 12-speaker 425-watt Sennheiser sound system is available.Power is drawn from a 77kWh battery for both trims with the AWD VZ’s driving range rated at 521km and the Endurance 568km (both WLTP combined).Fast-charging is capped at 135kW (DC) meaning you can bring the car from 10-80 per cent in under 30 minutes and add up to 100km of driving range in seven minutes. Cupra Australia is yet to confirm exact pricing and final specification for the Tavascan. Product and Marketing Boss Jeff Shafer told CarsGuide the new electric SUV will be priced above the existing Formentor range.The unique SUV costs $65,790, before on-road costs, in top-spec VZx AWD trim, meaning the Tavascan Endurance is likely to start at $70,000 or just below and the twin-motor VZ will likely be just above that mark. Expect various luxury and leather packs as well as an optional sunroof. Because the Tavascan is being sourced from China, the car is earmarked to reach Cupra garages by December this year, at around the same time as European deliveries to come. Cupra’s range will continue to expand in 2025. The Tavascan will be followed by the facelifted Leon – including Sportstourer wagon – and Formentor before the Terramar plug-in hybrid SUV arrives before the year’s end. 

Cupra will get a new more affordable entry-point to its range ahead of major 2025 reshuffle.

If you's an SUV hater upset that Volkswagen dropped the Golf R wagon you’ve got something to look forward to because the brand’s cool Spanish cousin is filling the gap with its new 245kW Leon Sportstourer. Timed to coincide with the facelifted Cupra Leon hot hatch range due in April 2025, the long-roof Leon VZx will hit Australian shores a few months later. "We've been really pushing hard for the Australian introduction of the Sportstourer,” said Cupra Australia Head of Product and Marketing Jeff Shafer.“We are now expecting this to enter into Australia next year a couple of months after the Leon and Formentor."The petrol flagship in the Formentor, and we expect it in the Sporstourer, is now a 245kW engine and that's paired with the torque vectoring all-wheel-drive system. So effectively the drift mode and the ability to send torque to wherever it is needed," said Mr Shafer. Those 245kW and 420Nm outputs and torque vectoring all-wheel-drive system are the same that feature in the existing Golf R 20 Years edition which should make the Sportstourer suitably spicy. Final figures aren’t in yet but a 0-100km/h time under five seconds is very likely, giving it a leg up on the front-drive only 221kW Leon VZx hatch. Cupra may also offer the Leon Sportstourer with a plug-in hybrid powertrain as it has seen recent success with the set-up. The facelift will bring a new 19.7kWh battery that should equate to a circa-100km electric-only driving range. The list of performance-oriented wagons in Australia has shrunk though the genre is enjoying a resurgence among enthusiasts. In the affordable camp it’s only the Skoda Octavia RS that offers true performance. The Volkswagen Passat is dead in Oz and very few others remain beyond the Mazda6.Cupra will look to capitalise on the cult appeal of wagons: Audi’s RS4 and RS6’s as well as BMW’s critically acclaimed M3 wagon and soon-to-launch plug-in hybrid M5 Touring.Prices for the updated Cupra models are not confirmed. The current VZx hatch lists at $65,690 drive-away, while the Golf R wagon left the market at $71,990 before on-road costs. A starting price around $75K drive-away for the full-fat Leon Sportstourer VZx seems realistic.

Cupra is racing towards its goal to electrify its entire range by the end of the decade with a range of new fuel efficient and electric models on the horizon.

Cupra has debuted the updated Formentor and Leon in Europe with more grunt, extra tech and an improved cabin ahead of their arrival in Australia next year.

Emerging car brand Cupra has added a new value focused model to its Australian line-up bringing performance and design flair.

Cupra's next few years have been outlined and previewed during the brand's annual conference, with a US launch and new large SUV coming to spearhead the brand's North American expansion.

Cupra’s first fully electric model now has a proper performance version, with the Cupra Born VZ revealed overnight as a faster version of what the brand billed a “rear-wheel drive hot hatchback BEV'' upon its launch in Australia.

Last year was a record year for new-vehicle sales in Australia, which was welcome news for carmakers following years of pandemic-related uncertainty. But aside from the dominant Toyota, there were some other sales surprises that didn't make the podium. These are the sales winners of 2023.