Cupra readying its biggest SUV yet

Cupra’s final new vehicle with a petrol engine will be its largest SUV to date.

The Cupra Terramar has been spied testing ahead of an expected reveal during 2024. The Spanish brand has previously indicated the mid-sized SUV will come to Australia during 2025.

Volkswagen Group’s sporty Spanish spin-off brand first previewed the Terramar at its Unstoppable Impulse event in 2022. It measures around 4.5m long, slightly longer than the 4446mm-long Formentor.

These recent spy images show the Terramar undergoing cold weather testing in what looks to be production-ready guise.

Under the camouflage wrap we can see an aggressive-looking front end with a sharply creased bonnet, a full-width lower air intake, and what looks like the same three-triangle LED daytime running light signatures as the Tavascan.

Named after the Autódromo de Sitges-Terramar racing circuit in Barcelona, Cupra envisions the SUV model will push the brand “upmarket to the hot spot of the SUV segment”.

As part of the Volkswagen Group, Cupra’s Terramar will utilise the MQB platform also used by the similarly sized Volkswagen Tiguan, and will be built alongside the next Audi Q3 in Hungary.

While the Terramar will be available with plug-in hybrid powertrain options, Cupra has confirmed the Terramar will support a petrol-powered engine, making it the brand’s last new combustion-powered vehicle.

The Terramar may share powertrains with the new Tiguan, which offers a choice of turbocharged 1.5-litre and 2.0-litre four-cylinder engines. The Tiguan also offers a pair of plug-in hybrid powertrains, with total outputs of 150kW and 197kW, respectively.

Electrified variants of the Terramar are expected to use a 19.7 kWh battery, good for a claimed 100km of electric range.

With the Tavascan, Terramar, and upcoming Raval electric hatch joining its existing four models, Cupra will be doubling the size of its global line-up by 2025.

These new vehicles have been confirmed for Australian launches over 2025-26, while facelifted versions of the existing Cupra Leon, Born and Formentor are all set to arrive in Australia in the first half of 2025.

The older Ateca crossover is unlikely to see a second generation.

The design changes on the facelifted Leon, Born and Formentor were teased back in 2022, echoing the design language showcased in Cupra’s UrbanRebel concept.

The Spanish brand has previously said it plans to sell 7000 cars per year in Australia by 2025. It sold 3765 vehicles here in 2023.