Kiwis can expect to say ‘hola’ to the sharp-looking Tavascan in late 2024.

AS Cupra limbers up to start showing its first electric for New Zealand, the factory has finally revealed the second also heading our way - with promise of a sizzler flagship.

Though it has only now been revealed in showroom-ready form, the Tavascan medium crossover (above) just unveiled in Germany is already a firm Kiwi starter, with expected arrival in late 2024, the national distributor confirming this last December.

The all-wheel-drive medium crossover is a performance-themed player set to site above the Born, a chunky rear-drive five-door rear-drive hatch which is about to embark on a national pre-release promotional tour, with details and price sorted and availability from September probable.

Pre-release raa-raa activity is how it goes for inbound products atop Volkswagen Group’s MEB electric car platform, as all so far have been subject to some degree of uncertainty about exact on-sale. The Skoda Enyaq iV has been doing the rounds since February, the Volkswagen ID.4 and ID.5 and Audi Q4 since late last year.

James Yates, who runs New Zealand operations for the Spanish brand – which represents as Cupra and as SEAT – holds optimism for both Cupra models.

Born is effectively a racier-looking version of the first of VW’s electric family, the ID.3. Germany’s exact equivalent is already on NZ roads, but only as a grey import. VW NZ intends to add ID.3 once it can secure the facelift, already shown in its home market but not yet ready for export. The Born and ID.3 come off a common production line, run by VW.

Tavascan has an even more interesting back story. Designed and developed in Barcelona and previewed by a concept that revealed in 2019, it will also roll out of a VW plant, but in China. Cupra is aiming to build more than 50,000 units annually from the Anhui plant and NZ could well among the earliest right-hand-drive customers.

Rakish, racy appeal is a Cupra thing. Tavascan in production form is not exactly the same as the well-received styling proposal, but remains close in overall look. Cupra is set to be entirely electric by 2030 and chief executive Wayne Griffiths says the success of that “unstoppable impulse” will come from a brand determination to steer clear of making “purely rational electric cars” as “that’s not what Cupra is about.”

Tavascan, then, is portrayed as “hero of a new era” whose design language will spread to other vehicles. 

However, those will very likely be products further into the future than other cars that Cupra intends to bring in the next 18 months. Also incoming during that period are plug-in hybrids; the Terramar sports utility, set to be built by Audi in Hungary, and a Leon hatch. Further out is the Urban Rebel, which Yates recently confirmed is Cupra’s sister ship to the smallest electric VW car coming, the ID.2. Also, Cupra is showing another concept spin from that one, called Dark Rebel (below). You like?

Given that it will be a China-made car, Tavascan’s big reveal being in Berlin rather than at last week’s Shanghai auto show was an interesting spin.

The occasion wasn’t just to ‘show’; Cupra had plenty to tell, as well, probably base ID.5 is already out and about.

Over the past week VW has been talking about improvement coming for the batteries it has developed in-house for MEB, but at the moment Tavascan relies on the same 82kWh (77kWh useable) unit that has been serving all the Group product NZ is taking.

The car will offer in a range-topping VZ with a rear-biased dual-motor all-wheel drive system, which develops a combined output of  250kW and 679Nm, with 0-100 kmh in 5.6 seconds and around 520 kilometres’ range in the WLTP cycle. Other highlights include an available heat pump, four levels of regeneration, and a drive mode selector with Range, Comfort, Performance, and Cupra (Sports) settings.

There’s also a Tavascan Endurance as the entry choice. This is rear-drive with 210kW/ 545Nm and, though slower in the sprint, has super overall range, with 550km on a single charge.

In respect to replenishment, the car configures with a 135 kW DC fast charger that will take the battery from 10-80 prcent in less than 30 minutes. Cupra claims a seven minute stay at a fast charger can add 100km of range.

 Looks-wise, it’s out to draw attention. If you like the Formentor, you’ll surely also find the Tavascan appealing.

The concept’s overall performance-focused aesthetic has remained; the shark nose front fascia and swept headlights with a “three-triangle eye signature” were strong features of the concept, likewise the raked windscreen, low roof and angular pillars, triangular taillights and a spoiler. All transfer. Likewise the large wheels. The production car choices run from 19 through to 21 inches.

Illumination of styling features has become something of a thing for VW Group cars. With this one the Cupra logos on the nose and tail light up. Inside, so do the door panels and sill plates.

The interior is also flamboyant; there are plenty of copper accents, of course, but the main styling feature is a ‘central spine’ running to the centre console and covered in 3D parametric mesh trim. The driver has a flat-bottomed steering wheel and the 5.3-inch digital instrument cluster is accompanied by an augmented reality head-up display.  

The centre console holds a 15-inch infotainment system that features widgets as well as Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. The system also sports ‘touch bars’ that can be used to adjust volume and climate settings. Sports seats are standard, with recycled polyester and microfiber upholstery.

Cupra has yet to give all interior measurements except to say that trigger the power liftgate and you’ll find 540 litres of luggage space. In terms of overall dimension, Tavascan measures 4644 mm long, 1861mm wide, and 1597 mm tall with a wheelbase of 2766mm. So, basically the same wheelbase as the ID.5, but wider, a bit longer and lower.

Car2X communications technology comes to Tavascan and highlights of the plethora of driver assistance systems include predictive adaptive cruise control, traffic sign recognition and intelligent speed adaptation. There’s a Travel Assist semi-autonomous driving system that combines adaptive cruise control with lane centring. The system also offers assisted lane changes. An app enables owners to manage charging, adjust the climate control system, and lock/unlock doors remotely. 

Pricing has yet to be considered and likely won’t be until next year, but ID.5 starts at $85,490 and in entry form it has less oomph.

 The Born (above), of course, is yet another electric to kick in at $79,990, so as to achieve the Clean Car rebate of $8625, and Yates explained recently that getting to that price wasn’t easy. If the factory had won the argument, the car would cost more – as Skoda Enyaq does, though with the latter the high-end stickers are also to do with NZ only being able to source a flagship specification.

On May 17 Yates told MotoringNZ.com that VW Group is feeling heat, mainly with escalating price of raw products. 

As result, for Born, there’s been a bit give and take at all levels – from this side of the table, intent to add heated seats as standard has gone. But Yates is confident he can keep the car at that price for the foreseeable future.

“We know that’s a fairly big point in consumers’ minds and we’ve told the factory we need to be at that point for the foreseeable future.  

“There will be other inflationary costs coming and how we deal with those? Well, we’re we are just going to try to push them out and build a bunch of cars that can be stock at this price. We’re working through that.” 

Cupra NZ has two demonstration Borns – virtually in NZ spec save for very minor detail – to curry pre-availability interest.  

It purely configures in rear-wheel drive, with 170kW/310Nm, WLTP-rated range of 511 kilometres and recharging rates of between 30 minutes off a hypercharger to seven and half hours off a home plug.

Yates still hopes to secure a version with a smaller battery, but that cannot be reconciled at the moment. VW Group will only sign off the largest battery for ‘hot’ countries. That not NZ, but it is our neighbour, and as we’re considered one and the same …

The Born has 19-inch wheels, sports suspension, wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a 12-inch infotainment display and a 5.3-inch digital instrument cluster, tyre pressure monitoring, recycled fibre upholstery, coloured ambient lighting, auto parking, rain sensing wipers, 360 display.  

Other tech highlights include LED headlights, cordless device charging, two USB-C sockets for the front occupants and two for the rear, and ambient cabin lighting.

Comfort and convenience features include; keyless locking/unlocking and start, a heated leather steering wheel, dual-zone climate control, tinted rear windows, and a 385-litre boot.

Its main central touchscreen measures 12.0-inches and is complemented by a 5.3-inch driver’s instrument cluster, and Android Auto/Apple CarPlay is standard, although not wirelessly.

Safety and driver assistance features span seven airbags, automatic headlights and wipers, lane-departure and parking assistance, adaptive cruise control, driver fatigue monitoring, and autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist recognition.

The option of Aurora Blue paint will have to carefully considered; it costs $850 and takes the car above the rebate. 

Buyer can also accessorise otherwise, with Performance and Interior packs, though again these abdicate from the Government payment and Performance Pack reduces the body count, with the back seat swapping from a bench to two individual chairs.

Performance Pack’s big feature otherwise is Dynamic Chassis Control, for $4000, and an upgrade to 20-inch rims wearing Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tyres is a $2500 tick. Those tyres drop claimed driving range to 475km.

The Interior Pack adds more luxury touches to the cabin, including sports front seats with heating, 12-way electric adjustment and massage function and Dinamica upholstery, grey for $3000 blue for $3400. The package also includes a premium Beats sound system with nine speakers, for $950.