Cupra confirms production version of Tindaya concept

The Tindaya — named after a volcanic mountain on Fuerteventura — will sit above the battery-electric Cupra Tavascan and could become the Spanish VW Group brand’s new flagship model. The show car presented at IAA 2025 measures 4.72 metres in length and delivers a system output of 365 kW. Cupra designed the concept as an electric vehicle with a range extender. While the company did not disclose battery details, it confirmed at the show that a 1.5-litre TSI petrol engine supplements the electric drivetrain by generating additional electricity for the electric motors. According to Cupra, the concept offers an all-electric range of around 300 kilometres and a combined range of approximately 1,000 kilometres.

Seat/Cupra CEO Markus Haupt has now told Autocar that designers and engineers are working on the final version of the vehicle, which is set to launch in the coming years. “It looks fantastic – why should we not build the Tindaya?” Haupt said. “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.”

However, the model will still take some time to reach the market, as Cupra plans to base the Tindaya on the upcoming Scalable Systems Platform (SSP). Volkswagen Group has not yet launched the platform and is expected to introduce it next year in an initial Audi model before extending it to Porsche. The SSP will later also underpin the VW ID. Golf, which is not expected to launch before 2030. The platform will integrate the zonal electronic architecture and software developed through Volkswagen’s joint venture with US manufacturer Rivian. In the future, the Volkswagen Group plans to build around 30 million vehicles on the SSP architecture.

The SSP was originally conceived as a purely electric vehicle architecture but now also supports range-extender systems in response to market developments. Conventional plug-in hybrids, such as those known from the current MQB platform, are not planned for the SSP at this stage.

However, it has not yet been decided whether the Cupra Tindaya will ultimately be launched with a range extender or as a fully electric model (the other option based on the SSP). CEO Markus Haupt told Autocar that discussions about powertrain types are changing daily and rapidly. The Tindaya will definitely run on a new group platform.

“But which powertrains will we have in the end? It’s a decision we have not taken now, and we want to stay flexible as long as possible, because when the car hits the streets, we need to ensure that it has the right powertrains for our markets, for our customers,” Haupt said.

autocar.co.uk, cupraofficial.de (IAA Showcar)