BrandsCupra Tindaya Is Going Into Production — The Batmobile SUV Is Real
AI-generated concept illustration of the Cupra Tindaya — not an official Cupra image. | Rev N Rise
When Cupra unveiled the Tindaya concept at the Munich Motor Show in September 2025, the reaction was immediate — journalists called it Batmobile-like, futuristic and genuinely unlike anything else in the segment. Cupra called it a design showcase and refused to confirm production plans. That changed today. Seat-Cupra CEO Markus Haupt confirmed to Autocar on May 23 that the Tindaya is going into production. The most dramatic SUV concept of 2025 is becoming a real car.
The confirmation came directly from Markus Haupt — Seat-Cupra CEO — in an interview with Autocar published today, May 23 2026. Haupt revealed that designers and engineers at Cupra are actively working on the production version of the Tindaya, with a launch targeted for the coming years. His words left no ambiguity about the decision: "It looks fantastic — why should we not build the Tindaya?"
Until today, Cupra had been carefully non-committal about the Tindaya's production future. The company described the concept primarily as a technology and design showcase — a statement of intent rather than a commitment. That changed with Haupt's confirmation. The Tindaya will move from concept car to showroom reality, sitting above the Tavascan and Terramar as Cupra's new flagship electric SUV — the brand's most expensive, most powerful and most technologically advanced production vehicle ever made.
The Cupra Tindaya concept was unveiled at the Munich Motor Show in September 2025 — arriving as a 4.72-metre long sports SUV with a design language that the automotive press unanimously described as extraordinary. The body has an extremely low, raked roofline for an SUV — dropping sharply toward a pointed tail — with deeply sculpted flanks, aggressive parametric front lighting and 23-inch wheels that fill the arches completely. The colour scheme on the concept shifted from metallic grey at the front — representing the Atlantic Ocean — to desert sand at the rear — representing the volcanic rock of Tindaya mountain on Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands, from which the car takes its name.
The interior of the concept was equally striking. Rather than the conventional steering wheel found in every other car in the segment, the Tindaya uses a motorsport-style yoke — a squared-off steering device borrowed from racing car design — with a 180-degree lock-to-lock ratio that eliminates the need for hand-over-hand steering. In the centre of the yoke sits "The Jewel" — a large glass prism tactile interface that controls drive modes, ambient lighting and infotainment. The interior uses sustainable materials throughout — Ultrasuede Nu, bio-leather and recycled elements — in a 2+2 configuration that prioritises the driver experience above all else. No Driver, No Cupra, as the brand's philosophy states.
The production Tindaya will be built on the Volkswagen Group's SSP platform — the Scalable Systems Platform — the most advanced and capable architecture VW Group has ever developed. SSP is the successor to the MEB platform that currently underpins the Cupra Born, VW ID.3 and Skoda Enyaq — but it is significantly more sophisticated. Where MEB was designed as an electric-only platform, SSP is engineered to accommodate a wider range of powertrains — including both pure BEV and range-extender configurations — and supports bi-directional charging, over-the-air software updates and the next generation of Volkswagen Group's driver assistance technology.
The Tindaya concept used a range-extender powertrain — a small combustion engine acting as a generator to extend the range of the battery, rather than driving the wheels directly. This approach, pioneered by brands like BMW with the i3 Rex and now being explored by Chinese manufacturers, allows the car to offer the driving feel of a pure EV while eliminating range anxiety on long journeys. Haupt confirmed that the production Tindaya's powertrain is not yet finalised — the range-extender from the concept may not carry over — with Cupra retaining flexibility based on market demand. A pure BEV variant is confirmed. Whether a range-extender joins it will depend on how the regulatory and consumer landscape develops before the car's launch.
Cupra has positioned the Tindaya explicitly against the BMW iX3 — which starts at $62,850 in the US and delivers 434 miles of range from its Neue Klasse platform — as well as the Volvo EX60, the Genesis GV70 Electric, the Alfa Romeo Stelvio EV and the Porsche Macan Electric. At a UK estimated price of approximately £60,000, the Tindaya sits in the premium electric SUV segment — competing on brand desirability, performance and design rather than on price alone.
Of all the rivals, the BMW iX3 comparison is the most meaningful — both are performance-focused, both sit on technically advanced dedicated EV platforms and both are targeting buyers who want something more engaging than a conventional family SUV. But the Tindaya's design language — rakish, dramatic, borderline aggressive — is the opposite of the BMW iX3's more conservative premium aesthetic. Cupra is betting that a significant number of £60,000 buyers want something that looks genuinely unlike anything else in their postcode. Given the reception to every dramatic SUV launched in the past decade — from the BMW X6 to the Porsche Cayenne Coupe — that is a reasonable bet.
| Name | Cupra Tindaya |
| Confirmed by | Markus Haupt — Seat-Cupra CEO — May 23 2026 |
| Platform | Volkswagen Group SSP — Scalable Systems Platform |
| Length | 4.72 metres |
| Position | Above Tavascan and Terramar — Cupra flagship |
| Body | Sports SUV — rakish roofline — 2+2 seating |
| Powertrain (confirmed) | Pure BEV |
| Powertrain (TBC) | Range-extender — under consideration |
| Concept output | 489hp — dual motor AWD |
| 0-62 mph (concept) | 4.1 seconds |
| Steering | Motorsport yoke — 180-degree ratio |
| Interior highlight | "The Jewel" — glass prism tactile control interface |
| Materials | Ultrasuede Nu, bio-leather, recycled elements |
| Wheels | 23-inch |
| UK Price (est.) | ~£60,000 |
| US Price (est.) | ~$55,000–$65,000 |
| Production timeline | "Coming years" — estimated 2028–2029 |
| Rivals | BMW iX3, Volvo EX60, Genesis GV70, Porsche Macan, Alfa Romeo Stelvio EV |
| Concept revealed | Munich Motor Show — September 2025 |
| Named after | Sacred volcanic mountain — Fuerteventura, Canary Islands |
The Tindaya confirmation is the most significant strategic announcement in Cupra's short history as a standalone brand. Launched in 2018 as a performance sub-brand of SEAT, Cupra has grown rapidly — the Born EV, the Terramar SUV and the Formentor have all found strong audiences in Europe and increasingly in Australia and the Middle East. But all of Cupra's current products share platforms and architectures with other Volkswagen Group brands. The Tindaya — on the SSP platform, with its unique yoke steering and Jewel interface — will be the first Cupra product that is genuinely its own thing. Not a hot SEAT. Not a VW with different badges. A Cupra, from the ground up, at a price point that demands to be taken seriously.
Haupt's ambition for the brand is explicit: Cupra is positioning itself as a fully independent premium performance EV brand within Volkswagen Group — the same niche that Porsche occupies at a higher price point and Genesis is attempting to carve out at a similar price point. The Tindaya is the product that makes that positioning credible. A £60,000 flagship with a concept design that stopped everyone at Munich, built on VW Group's most advanced platform, confirmed for production today. Cupra is no longer a SEAT with attitude. It is becoming something considerably more interesting.
"It looks fantastic — why should we not build the Tindaya?"
— Markus Haupt, CEO, Seat-Cupra — May 23 2026The Cupra Tindaya is one of the most visually compelling concept cars of 2025 — and now it is going into production. At £60,000, on VW Group's SSP platform, with a motorsport yoke, a glass prism control interface and a design that journalists have been comparing to a Batmobile since Munich, the Tindaya will be the most distinctive thing in its segment when it arrives. It will not be for everyone. That is entirely the point. Cupra has confirmed what the concept always suggested: this is a brand that wants to build cars people remember. The Tindaya will be remembered. Production is coming. It cannot arrive soon enough.