The new Cupra Tavascan electric crossover will be sold in China but it won’t be badged as a Cupra. Instead, VW will reportedly sell it under a new sub-brand it is gearing up to launch in the market.
An unnamed VW manager recently revealed to Automobilwoche that the Tavascan will serve as the first new model under this new brand name, which will aim at younger buyers.
Very limited details are known about the new sub-brand, but it is understood that it will have its headquarters in Anhui, fitting given that the Cupra Tavascan will be built in a new factory in the province. It is planning additional models beyond the Tavascan with the aim of rivaling brands including BYD and Nio.
According to the VW manager, VW will not launch the Cupra brand in China for practical reasons, noting the costs of “setting up a completely new brand” as being too extreme.
For as impressive as Cupra’s vehicles are, there’s no guarantee that VW will have an easy time making its new Chinese brand a success. Indeed, the Jetta sub-brand launched in China back in 2019 has failed to establish itself as a serious player in the market, even though it did manage to sell 178,100 vehicles in 2021, accounting for 0.85% of China’s new car market.
Read: Cupra’s Electric 2024 Tavascan Debuts As An ID.5 With Spanish Flair
Cupra took off the covers to the Tavascan last month. It is a sibling to the VW ID.5 but has a much sharper and more purposeful design that should help Cupra continue to go from strength to strength in global markets.
Underpinning the Tavascan is VW’s MEB platform and it will be offered with two different powertrains. The entry-level variant has a rear-mounted electric motor with 282 hp and 402 lb-ft (545 Nm) of torque while the flagship model has two electric motors to deliver a combined 335 hp and 501 lb-ft (679 Nm). Both versions have the same 77 kWh battery pack.
