Wayne Griffiths, number one in Cupra, seems to paraphrase Tiziano Terzani, who had written about Laos, as if it were not a country, but a state of mind. The British manager who leads the top-of-the-range Spanish sports brand defines the all-new electric Tavascan as “not just a car, but an attitude towards the future”. And he insists: “Big dreams begin with a few supporters”. It is said that Luca de Meo, who was the CEO of the Catalan manufacturer, had to push a lot to convince the top management of the Volkswagen group to create a new brand, Cupra in fact. Within a few years Griffiths has found not only supporters, but also customers and with the Tavascan also the first of the three electrified “heroes” with which to conquer new market shares. The other two are the plug-in Terramar and the zero-emission Urban Rebel.
The first electric SUV and the second zero-emission model of Cupra was designed and developed in Barcelona, but will be produced in China, at the Anhui site. The launch of the market will begin in 2024. Cupra has already anticipated important sales targets: 70,000 units a year, or just under half of the total accounted for last year.
The car is captivating and is also offered in the VZ version, the high-performance version (from 0 to 100 km/h in 5.6”) which ensures 340 HP of power thanks to the two 109 HP (134 Nm) units at front and 286 HP (545 Nm) at the rear. The rear-wheel drive variant mounts the only more powerful engine, that of the new engine that the group has just launched to equip the ID.7 with which the Tavascan shares the MEB platform (however declined in a different way). There are 5 driving modes (Range, Comfort, Performance, Cupra and Individual) to which Traction is added for the four-wheel drive versions. The 77 kWh net battery ensures a maximum range of around 550 kilometres.
The Tavascan is 4.644 meters long with a width of 1.861 and a height contained to less than 1.6 and a wheelbase of nearly 2,770 millimetres: “intelligent” proportions that make it an easy car to use even in the city. The colors, all quite flashy (a Century Bronze Matt will also be made available after the debut) also make it a car that is easy to notice.
From the shelves of the Cupra group has also fished the infotainment system based on the 15” diagonal screen just exhibited on the same ID.7. The new device also integrates the revised interface which should contribute to simplifying life on board. Furthermore, and for the brand it is a “first time”, the high-fidelity Sennheiser audio system with 12 speakers is available on the Tavascan.
