Spanish brand confirms second electric car for New Zealand

Friday, 28 April 2023

The Cupra Tavascan, unveiled earlier this month in production form, should hit New Zealand showrooms late last year.

This story originally appeared on MotoringNZ.com

As Cupra limbers up to start showing its first electric for New Zealand it has finally revealed that its second EV model, the Tavascan SUV flagship, is also heading our way.

Having been revealed in its production form earlier this week, the Tavascan medium crossover is already a firm Kiwi starter, with expected arrival in late 2024, the national distributor confirming this last December.

The production Tavascan’s interior retains the sci-fi features of the concept.

The all-wheel drive medium crossover is a performance-themed player set to sit 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.

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

**READ MORE:

Cupra has unveiled the production version of its mid-size electric SUV, the Tavascan.

* Volkswagen shows off new affordable electric hatchback

* Volkswagen to reveal all-electric retro Kombi in March

The Tavascan’s MEB-based cousins, the Skoda Enyaq and Volkswagen ID.4, are already on the road in New Zealand.

* Cupra debuts crazy UrbanRebel concept EV

* Three new electric vehicles due from Seat and Cupra by 2025

Meet the production Cupra Born, the first electric vehicle for the Spanish brand.

Born is effectively a racier-looking version of the first of VW’s electric family, the ID.3. 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 was 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 be among the earliest right-hand drive customers.

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.”

Also incoming in the interim 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.

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 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 520km 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.

The Tavascan can travel up to 550km on a single charge on the WLTP cycle.

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 135kW DC fast charger that will take the battery from 10-80 percent in less than 30 minutes. Cupra claims a seven minute stay at a fast charger can add 100km of range.

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 tail lights and a spoiler. All transfer. Likewise the large wheels. The production car choices run from 19 through to 21 inches.

A local launch for Cupra’s first EV, the Born, is imminent.

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 microfibre 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, 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.

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 is not NZ, but it is our neighbour Australia, 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.

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.