Flagship Cupra SUV to launch the brand to new premium heights

• Upcoming flagship electric SUV
• Focus on being “fun to drive”
• Likely to cost from over £50,000

With a North American expansion on the horizon, Cupra is planning to introduce a new electric SUV that will serve as its most premium offering yet. It’s destined to be a “crossover-SUV” and will usher in the brand’s second generation of EVs, eyeing up premium rivals with bold looks and a focus on sporty driving dynamics.

The new SUV is set to be one of several new models from Cupra, and will be offered in Europe as well as the US. It’s said to be unlike anything the brand currently offers, suggesting that it’ll be the biggest, most premium, and most expensive model it’s built to date.

What do we know so far about Cupra’s new flagship SUV?

Our recent conversation with Cupra CEO Wayne Griffiths at the Terramar SUV launch gave us more than a few clues as to what to expect from the brand’s next-generation SUV. 

Speaking about Cupra’s plan for US expansion, he told us, “For the second generation of electric cars on the new platform, for the US, we would need a bigger crossover-SUV. But not in terms of seven seats. We have other brands in the VW Group that can do that; Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles or whatever.”

Currently, Cupra’s largest SUV is the Tavascan, measuring 4,644mm in length, so we could see this new model stretch to around 4,900mm. That would be similar in length to cars like the Audi Q8 e-tron, Mercedes EQE SUV and Polestar 4, with the same five-seat interior layout. The decision to forego a seven-seat option should allow Cupra to maintain a sporty exterior design, with a sloping roofline as seen on cars like the Formentor and Tavascan.

Our exclusive images preview what this new SUV could look like, leaning into the same design language used across the brand’s latest models. That includes a pair of sharp headlights with a trio of triangular LED units and a dramatic front bumper with vast air intakes. The brand’s signature copper-coloured accents are expected to appear here, along with a black contrasting roof.

That coupe-esque roofline should become more obvious at the rear of the new SUV, where it’s likely to slope down to meet a full-width light bar – a design feature common across the Cupra range. We could even see a small active spoiler similar to that fitted to the Porsche Cayenne Coupe, reflecting Cupra’s ambition to make this a performance-focused model.

Cupra’s Vice President for research and development, Dr Werner Tietz, explained that “the basis of Cupra is fun to drive, so this is what will always be in our product; the sportiest offer in the segment. This story has to continue, this link has to be there. Otherwise you end up doing what everyone else is doing.”

While we’re some way off knowing technical and performance specifications for the new SUV, it’s fair to assume that it’ll adopt the VW Group’s ‘Scalable Systems Platform’ (SSP), which has been designed to replace its ubiquitous MEB and PPE architectures. Performance is expected to see a hefty bump over the VW Group’s current sporty offerings – the ID.7 GTX tops out at 335bhp, while the new Cupra SUV could get upwards of 500bhp from a dual-motor layout. A range of over 400 miles could be possible from a 100kWh battery, given that some electric VWs currently achieve that figure.

When will we see the new Cupra SUV and how much will it cost?

An official reveal date is still a long way off at this stage, but it’ll appear “by the end of the decade, which will fit with the next generation of electric cars”, according to Griffiths. A price tag north of £50,000 wouldn’t be out of the question given the premium aspirations of the new model, while top-spec dual-motor models could cost nearer to £70,000.

Before then, Cupra has some work on its hands. It’s already announced that it’s working on a new affordable supermini, the Raval, while Sven Schuwirth, Cupra’s executive VP for sales and marketing, suggested that an electric sports car could be on the cards, too.

Can’t wait for the new Cupra SUV? Read about the best electric SUVs you can buy today…