- Cupra’s Tindaya SUV concept from the Munich Motor Show will make production.
- Seat and Cupra CEO Markus Haupt confirmed the plan in a recent interview.
- VW Group’s SSP platform underpins Tindaya, allowing powertrain flexibility.
Cupra’s aggressive-looking Tindaya concept is officially heading for production, the automaker’s boss says, meaning Europe’s premium SUV crowd is about to get a new headache. The dramatic electric crossover will sit above the Tavascan and Terramar in Cupra’s lineup and target established players like the new BMW iX3, Volvo EX60, and Mercedes-Benz GLC EV.
And with a design we described last fall as looking like it was whipped up by Lamborghini on a wild night out, we can imagine it grabbing sales from drivers who think those other premium SUVs are just too dull.
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The concept first appeared at last year’s Munich motor show looking more like a sci-fi prop than a realistic production model. At the time, Cupra played it mostly as a design and technology statement. Now, though, Seat-Cupra boss Markus Haupt has confirmed the company is deadly serious about bringing it to showrooms.
“It looks fantastic. Why should we not build the Tindaya?” Haupt told Autocar in a recent interview. “We are indeed looking at our plans for when we could build the Tindaya, but it’s something I can promise. This car will see the streets in some years.”
Premium-Sized, Premium-Priced
At 4,720 mm (185.8 inches) long, the Tindaya is sized right for Europe’s lucrative premium SUV segment. That’s a crowded neighborhood packed with familiar badges from Germany, plus challengers from brands like Genesis, Lexus and Volvo. Cupra clearly believes buyers want something less conservative than another neatly tailored executive crossover.
Pricing is expected to start around £60,000, making it much more expensive than the cars in Cupra’s current lineup, but again, right for the segment. While neither Haubt or Autocar said as much, we suspect the Tindaya is the bigger of the two models that would have led Cupra’s plan to expand to North America. That expansion is no longer happening due to tariffs and weak US demand for EVs.
Electric Or Range Extender
The Tindaya will ride on Volkswagen Group’s upcoming SSP electric platform, which is set to replace today’s MEB architecture across multiple brands, the magazine says. But the report claims Cupra still hasn’t locked down the final powertrain setup. The original concept used a 489 hp (496 PS / 365 kW) range-extender arrangement combining electric power with combustion support, but Haupt suggested everything remains on the table while the company watches market trends evolve.
“All this discussion is changing by the day, very fast,” he said. “Which powertrains will we have in the end? It’s a decision we have not taken now.”
That flexibility is one advantage of belonging to the sprawling Volkswagen empire. SSP reportedly supports everything from pure EVs to electrified combustion-assisted setups, depending on regional demand.