Volkswagen’s electric SUV has been spied testing ahead of its launch in China under a new sub-brand
The German company will put a new badge on the Cupra Tavascan, but we do not yet know the name of the new brand.
September 13, 2023 in 8:38 AM ET
The prototype you see in the gallery below will probably look very familiar to you and you might even say that this is a Cobra Tavascan. You wouldn’t be entirely wrong as this is indeed an all-electric SUV based on the Spanish company’s second electric car, although that’s not the whole story. The lightly camouflaged concept car will turn into the first model of a new brand that the Volkswagen Group is about to launch.
As reported Car News A few months ago, the German automaker planned to create a new sub-brand for the Chinese market. It will sell electric cars and will be positioned as a more lifestyle-oriented company compared to the somewhat more conservative Volkswagen brand. However, creating a new brand would be too expensive, and VAG decided to sell brand new Cupra cars instead.
Gallery: Spy photos of VW’s Tavascan
13 the pictures
This easily explains why the Tavascan – a model that was fully revealed earlier this year – is still being tested with its tape-covered badges. We know for a fact that the electric coupe-like SUV will be assembled by Volkswagen in China’s Anhui province in December and exported to Europe. Although the Cupra brand will not be sold in the People’s Republic of China, this specific car will be available under a different name and under a different brand. However, we don’t know the name of this new brand yet.
The first model from the as-yet-unnamed brand will be almost identical to the Tavascan in terms of what’s under the skin – or at least that’s the current expectation. If that turns out to be the case, it means we’re looking at a MEB-based car that’s slightly longer, wider and lower than the VW ID.5.
The Tavascan is available for the European market with two power outputs: 281 hp for the rear-wheel drive model with one motor and 335 hp for the model with two electric motors. Both versions come with the same 77 kWh lithium-ion battery pack, enabling a range of up to 342 miles measured by WLTP. Expect identical or very similar numbers for the new China-only model.
