Has Cupra just staked out a claim within the Volkswagen Group as a brand that wants to put drivers in a place of higher importance than autonomy? It certainly seems so, as with the Tindaya concept shown at the Munich motor show, the buzz phrase is 'No driver, no Cupra.'
What is a Tindaya?
Well, actually, it's a volcano in the Canaries, near Fuerteventura, but in Cupra's specific case, it's a sharp-looking concept car that directly previews a new model in the Cupra range, most likely a replacement for the current Formentor.
We had been expecting more of a way-out concept car that was purely a styling exercise, but Markus Haupt, Interim CEO of Cupra, soon put us straight: “The Cupra Tindaya Showcar is not a dream, not even an ambition. This is our Cupra statement, and it's going to be a reality. While many move away from the driver, we double down on what matters most - the connection behind the wheel. Our focus will always be on the emotion of driving.”
Sounds good to us.
Tell us more about the styling
It's really quite dramatic. Picture a Formentor reimagined as a co-star in a Mad Max movie. The exterior is painted in a matt grey that fades through to Cupra's signature beige-copper colour, and there's the three-triangle LED lighting signature that we've already seen in production cars, but check out that dramatic low bodywork, finished in blacks and dark greys, made from lightweight 'Bcomp', a material which is like carbon fibre but made from natural materials, and which gives the Tindaya a cool basking-shark-like mouth.
At the rear, there are huge scallops taken out of the bodywork, which look almost like a Venturi tunnel, while the roof has a distinctive spine that runs back into a two-section rear spoiler. There are huge 23-inch wheels, and the whole thing is said to be inspired by the human body — a slim-fitting skin over a muscular structure.
What about the inside?
You can see how the cabin of the Cupra Tindaya will eventually make it through to production — it looks radical at first, but look closer and you can imagine how it can all work for real. There is a high centre console, with a scale-like surface (related to that seen in the current Cupra Tavascan EV) and 3D-printed elements, while the cockpit wraps tightly around the driver. There's no central touchscreen, but instead a big 24-inch multi-function display in front of the driver, and a chopped-down steering wheel festooned with proper, physical buttons, almost like that of a Formula One car. Well, maybe Darth Vader's Formula One car…
There's also the 'Jewel' — a glowing, haptic control in the centre console that fires up the Tindaya, and also adjusts the driving modes. At the base of the windscreen, there's a wide projection screen which is a head-up display, and a banging sound system co-developed with audio experts Sennheiser.
The Tindaya has been designed as a 2+2 crossover coupe, with rear-hinged back doors. Don't expect those to make it to production.
Does it have an engine? Or is it electric?
The Tindaya has been designed to sit on the Volkswagen Group's high-tech new 'SSP' platform, as does the Skoda Vision O concept, previewing a new Octavia. However, whereas so far SSP has been all about all-electric power, in the Tindaya, there's a range-extender powertrain, with close to 500hp, a battery that's good for a 300km range, and a 1.5-litre petrol engine acting as a generator to stretch that range to 1,000km on a combo of battery charge and fuel. It's the first time that Volkswagen has given an indication that the SSP platform can 'do' hybrid power.
When can I have one?
Don't hold your breath, but equally don't be surprised if the next-generation Formentor, or perhaps some other new Cupra model, takes lots of styling cues from the Tindaya in the next couple of years.