Cupra Tindaya concept previews a future production SUV

Meet the Cupra Tindaya: a blend of Cupra’s 2023 shooting-brake ‘Dark Rebel’ concept and a sizeable SUV. The outcome is a 4.7m-long, intensely aggressive crossover that acts both as a design statement for the Spanish marque and a glimpse of a forthcoming production car. According to interim CEO Markus Haupt, buyers should be able to purchase one by about 2030.

Cupra Tindaya previews the brand’s next decade

In case you have not been following, Cupra has been on a strong run since it became an independent company in 2018. It is approaching one million total vehicle sales and, last month, was Europe’s fastest-growing brand. That is before the new Raval urban EV - a sister model to the VW ID. Polo and Skoda Epiq - arrives early next year.

As with any self-respecting concept car, the Tindaya takes its name from “a volcanic mountain that rises from Fuerteventura, part of the Canary Islands in the wild Atlantic Ocean". There is, intriguingly, no reference to a powertrain. That makes perfect sense when the production version remains at least five years away, while also reflecting the industry’s current uncertainty. It will likely be fully electric, but there is little reason to commit now when a plug-in hybrid may be the more sensible option by 2030.

Cupra Tindaya design and interior

We could repeat the familiar design details from the press material, including the “lines that flow from the rear shoulder to frame the rear lights with a coast-to-coast digital mask", or discuss the cabin’s 'Jewel', which “awakens the vehicle, adjusts driving modes, and transforms the atmosphere through lighting, sound and ambient responses” - in other words, the glass triangle in the centre console.

But you can see for yourself the Tindaya’s menacing front end, along with its abundance of cuts and vents. It is certainly not minimalist, but it is striking - especially the roof spine containing two removable panels. The seats, meanwhile, are “a modern reinterpretation of the classic ‘Eames Lounge’” and hang from another spine that divides the 2+2 cabin.

Production plans and market expansion

“The Tindaya was born to be a reality. It’s a design study, but the beginning of the next decade, somewhere around there, it will be true,” Haupt told Top Gear. He became interim CEO only this April, after the unexpected exit of British executive Wayne Griffiths.

Haupt also said that Cupra’s intended expansion into the US market is currently on hold, although the Tindaya would be suitably sized for American buyers. A launch for the marque in the Middle East, however, appears increasingly likely in the near future.

Addressing the prospect of Chinese manufacturers flooding the European market, Haupt was upbeat: “We have so many things they don’t have: dealer networks, after service, we are a part of VW Group with access to group technology. One or two are earning money, the rest are still burning money. I think we’ll see lots of changes in the next few years.”