Two key sports utilities for VW’s Cupra sub-brand are en route, but only one has been detailed.

PRICING has been set for a Cupra with potential to immediately lift the marque’s status here but not yet for a more advanced second car, also impending, that logically is more important in the long term.

The Terramar hybrid (top) and the Tavascan fully electric car (immediately above) are the first all new products from Spanish make, which is part of the VW Group, since it launched it’s first battery-wed product, the Born, almost two years ago.

Both are sports utilities; the latter is the make’s new flagship.

Terramar is Cupra’s spin from the most popular Volkswagen sold here, the Tiguan, but with a technology twist. Tavascan sits on the VW Group electric car platform and draws much from the ID.4, Audi Q4 e-tron and Skoda’s Enyaq.

Terramar is showing in V and higher performance VZ specifications.

The entry choice has the 1.4-litre turbo-petrol engine also furnished to Tiguan, with the same 110kW/250Nm outputs, but with a mild-hybrid not on the parent brand’s model as it represents here. This pulls cited fuel economy down from 8.5 litres per 100km in the VW to 5.8, according to information published today.

The VZ, meantime, has a fully conventional 195kW/400Nm 2.0-litre engine, also in the Tiguan R Line AWD. It does 0-100kmh in 5.9 seconds.

Cupra traditionally sits above VW as a sportier option and that occurs with Terramar, the make’s publicist says.

The V is pricing at $70,500; Tiguan with the engine is $63,990 max. The VZ, at $91,990, is $10k more than the Tiguan R-Line AWD. Many might question if that’s a lot of money for a brand that’s still making a name for itself in terms of premium badge appeal. It also places in it an interesting situation against teh Formentor VZ, another performance SUV of similar size but packing more oomph; it has the Golf R-equivalent 245kW 2.0-litre.

Information published today says two more variants will arrive in due course. these are a non-hybrid 150kW 2.0-litre V 4Drive, for $81,990, also with a seven-speed gearbox.

The last is a plug-in hybrid, which delivers the 1.4-litre in tandem with an electric motor feeding off a 20kWh plug-in battery pack, for $87,900.

The V e-Hybrid has a six-speed dual-clutch gearbox and is front drive.

With the new car market having swung firmly back to petrol and mild hybrid petrol models last year, all but the V e-Hybrid seem to stand chance of immediate consideration. The plug-in car is more of a dice throw - plug-in hybrid volume plummeted in 2024, the decline in interest being at pace with the abrupt turnaround in electric vehicle sales.

Industry sentiment that EVs will dust off, at least a bit, in 2025 will be a relief for Cupra, because the Tavascan has a lot riding on it.

In today’s information share, Cupra NZ indicated that car might not come until late 2025 - an interesting strategy, because it is landing in Australia a lot sooner than that, first deliveries coming in April.

It has already been priced and specified for there. Comment about the NZ plan has been sought from Cupra NZ brand marketing specialist Nataliya Ellingham.

Tavascan will be available with two models in Australia: the single motor rear-wheel drive Endurance and dual-motor all-wheel drive VZ. Australia market pricing directly converted to NZ dollars comes to $67,488 and $82,427.

Both models use a 77kWh lithium-ion battery, with the Endurance sending power to a 210kW/545Nm rear-mounted motor. The VZ adds a front motor for a 250kW combined output, though this reduces range from the 534km rating (WLTP) of the Endurance to 499km.

Both models can be DC fast charged at up to 135kW or AC at 11kW, for a 10 to 80 per cent charge in as little as “under 30 minutes”.

The claimed 0-100kmh sprint time for the Endurance is 6.8 seconds, with the VZ lessening that to 5.5 seconds.

What also makes Tavascan interesting is that it is the first Cupra not to be made in Europe. Rather, Tavascan is only sourced from Anhui, China. It was supposed to be here last year, but production fell behind schedule.