The Cupra Tindaya concept car has been teased in the lead-up to its reveal at the Munich motor show on September 8, where it will showcase the Spanish performance brand’s new design direction – including a radical cabin.
‘Tindaya’ is the name of a volcanic mountain on the Spanish island of Fuerteventura in the North Atlantic Ocean – or the ‘wild’ Atlantic Ocean as Cupra describes it – and its “copper-toned rock echoes the signature of Cupra”, said the Volkswagen Group brand.
The exterior teaser image shows said volcanic mountain (which is no longer an active volcano, by the way) behind the sharp-edged, zig-zagging lines of the concept car’s rear-end.
A second shot shows the diamond-patterned surfacing of the interior, and a glimpse of the unconventional steering yoke – ala Tesla and Lexus, among others – in place of a regular steering wheel.
CarExpert can save you thousands on a new Cupra. Clickhereto get a great deal.
A statement from the company says the concept “embraces its namesake’s dramatic character, with an exterior and interior design that comes alive with a radical yet simple idea: ‘No Drivers, No Cupra’”.
Cupra is amid a design shift as it moves further into EVs, and the Tindaya concept also features elements of the chiselled Dark Rebel – a wild, jagged-edged two-door electric sports car concept shown in 2023 (pictured below).
Starting life as the performance arm of Seat – which is no longer present in Australia – Cupra was established as a standalone brand in 2019.
Design chief Jorge Díez told British publication Autocar that Cupra’s short existence as a brand in its own right was an advantage when it came to designing the Dark Rebel concept.
“[With] no heritage or need to keep to DNA, we can make it from scratch, which gives thousands of possibilities, but it’s an emotional design, a human design,” he said.
Another Cupra concept, the 2021 UrbanRebel, previewed the 2026 Raval small electric SUV, which goes on sale in Europe next year. Cupra Australia says it plans to launch it here by mid-2027.
Based on the Volkswagen Group’s MEB Entry platform – which also underpins the Volkswagen ID.2 – the Raval will sit below the current Cupra Born electric hatch in terms of size and price, to compete with small electric vehicles (EVs) like the MG 4, BYD Dolphin, Abarth 500e and, in Europe, the Renault 5 E-Tech.
The Raval will be powered by a single front-mounted electric motor making 169kW, and will offer a sub-7.0-second 0-100km/h time along with a 440km range.
Officially called the IAA Mobility Show, the Munich motor show will open to the public from September 9.