Cupra Terramar SUV revealed, Australian launch likely

The Cupra Terramar will expand the young and fast-growing Spanish brand's model line-up into medium SUV territory.

Named after a long disused, banked oval racetrack that stands as Spain's equivalent to Monza or Brooklands, the Terramar is due to go into production in 2024.

It was unveiled at a lavish event staged in a massive pop-up structure specially built inside the old Terramar track. This is the same place that Cupra launched itself as a brand back in 2018.

EDITOR'S NOTE: The images you see here are all that Cupra has made available at this early stage in the new model's journey to production.

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The 4.5-metre long Terramar is the kind of concept that will change little on the journey from stage to assembly line. While the Terramar is certain to make it to Australia, it's not known whether it will launch here in the same year as it goes on sale in Europe.

Terramar will also mark a significant landmark in Cupra's short history: it's the last new model the brand will ever make with purely ICE (internal combustion engine) drivetrains.

Speaking at the big reveal, Cupra CEO Wayne Griffiths said an EV-only range was "an aim we aspire to achieve by 2030".

Cupra isn't talking details of the Terramar's ICE drivetrains, but does promise that it will also be made with "a new generation of hybrid plug-in hybrid powertrains that deliver around 100km in all-electric mode".

In other words, it will deliver a big step up in electric ability over the Leon and Formentor plug-in hybrids that will spearhead Cupra's imminent three-model brand launch in Australia. These can cover only 50 to 65km on battery power.

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For clues on what to expect under the Terramar's bonnet, look to the upper end of Audi's Q3 range. The two are closely related under the skin, and the Terramar will be built in Audi's long-established factory in Gyor, Hungary.

Outside, the Terramar features Cupra's new tri-triangle signature lighting, front and rear. Diez says he wants each car to have its own distinct visual character.

Proportion and form will not be cut-and-pasted when a new model is designed. Instead, the consistent look of light clusters will create a more subtle family resemblance, the designer explained.

The big reveals from Cupra's Impulse event