Cupra to reveal coupe-crossover as first standalone model

Cupra will reveal its first standalone model, a coupé-SUV with bespoke styling, on February 22 ahead of this year’s Geneva motor show.

The Seat sister brand has released a single darkened teaser image of the rear of the concept car, showing a sculpted body that suggests the high-riding stance of a crossover with a sloping coupé-esque roof line. The machine also sports a distinctive LED light strip across the boot lid, which features both the Cupra logo and the brand name spelt out

The firm says the new machine, which will be shown in an online reveal exactly one year since the brand was launched, will take “the high-performance vehicle to the next level”, and will offer “a unique driving experience.”

Cupra brand boss Wayne Griffiths added that the concept car “is a synthesis of what Cupra stands for”. The firm hinted that the machine would showcase the future direction of the brand in terms of both design and technology.

The new model, rumoured to be called Terramar, will be the first from Cupra whose exterior design is a unique departure from Seat’s range, with the aim to help the brand distinguish itself from parent company Seat.

It adapts the bodystyle of the 20V20 concept seen at Geneva in 2015, but with a radically different look distinguishing the model from other, similar-sized Volkswagen Group SUVs.

It will be wider and lower than Cupra’s first model, the Ateca, featuring a sloping roofline, pronounced rear haunches and a front-end design that takes inspiration from the Tarraco large SUV.

Autocar understands that the new SUV won’t be totally new under the skin, and is likely to adopt the engine and running gear from the current Cupra Ateca. That means the familiar ‘EA888’ 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine, possibly with more than today’s 296bhp, mated to a variable four-wheel-drive system and seven-speed DSG gearbox.