You'll never guess which brand is responsible.
Volkswagen is preparing to roll out a whole mess of electric vehicles in the coming years. But it's not just the core brand that's embracing battery power. So are the other brands under its vast umbrella, one of which will showcase this rather stunning concept at the 2019 Frankfurt Motor Show later this month.
It's called the Cupra Tavascan, and it's based on the same MEB platform that's set to underpin a raft of Volkswagen ID models. But this one looks decidedly more aggressive than anything we've seen wearing the VW badge so far.
Fans of European hot hatches will know the Cupra name as having adorned some of the fastest hatchbacks and wagons ever made, but has recently been spun off into its own sub-brand. And this is its first stab at a road-going electric vehicle.
Named for a picturesque village in the Pyrenees along the Spanish-French border, the Tavascan takes the form of a crossover coupe, with an aggressive design, liquid metal paint, carbon-fiber and copper accents, and suitably conceptual 22-inch turbine-style alloys. The theme continues inside the futuristic cabin, with more carbon complementing the leather and Alcantara trim, and large 13-inch infotainment and 12.3-inch instrument displays.
It looks like a Tesla on steroids (or speed), even if the powertrain isn't quite as potent as Musk's finest. The Cupra Tavascan packs a pair of electric motors to deliver 302 horsepower, propelling the vehicle to 62 mph in under 6.5 seconds. A 77-kWh battery sits low under the floor and provides 280 miles of range (on the outmoded WLTP test cycle).
Cupra CEO Wayne Griffiths cites the brand's experience with the Formentor hybrid concept and the Cupra e-Racer as the basis for the concept's gestation. "With the presentation of the all-electric CUPRA Tavascan concept, we are translating this vision into the streets and proving that performance can be electrified."
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