Cupra Terramar emerges as Spanish Audi Q3

Spanish performance car-maker Cupra has unveiled the all-new 2024 Cupra Terramar that has been jointly developed with the next-generation Audi Q3, with both models set for release in Australia in 2025.

Taking its name from the historic Terramar racetrack in Spain, where the small-medium SUV was unveiled overnight alongside the forthcoming 2024 Cupra Tavascan and 2025 Cupra UrbanRebel, the Cupra Terramar will be positioned as a sporty, but premium, alternative to mainstream rivals such as the Ford Escape and Peugeot 3008.

Measuring in at around 4500mm long, Cupra says the Terramar isn’t a replacement for its ageing Cupra Ateca that launches in Australia next month but has been on sale in Europe since 2016.

Instead, it will sit above the Ateca but below the Cupra Formentor, which is similarly poised to hit Aussie showrooms as the Spanish brand launches here with three models in July. The other is the Cupra Leon hot hatch.

At last night’s event dubbed Unstoppable Impulse, the company announced that the 2024 Cupra Terramar would be the last all-new Cupra model to be powered by a combustion engine as the brand transitions to full-electric power by 2030.

However, the Terramar will offer only electrified powertrains; cheaper variants are expected to come with 48-volt mild hybrids, while the most expensive versions are set for a new plug-in hybrid (PHEV) powertrain that will offer a pure-electric range of around 100km.

The Terramar will be built at the same Volkswagen Group-owned Gyor factory in Hungary as the Audi Q3.

Once introduced, the Terramar could spin off a sportier-still SUV-coupe version that will mirror the Audi Q3 Sportback and feature more rakish rear styling.

Despite featuring toned-down styling beside both the Cupra UrbanRebel and Cupra Tavascan, the Spanish performance brand promises the Cupra Terramar will be among the sportiest, best-driving SUVs in its class.

The company sees the Terramar as a vital model in its quest to boost annual sales from 80,000 units to around 500,000 in the near-to-mid-term future.

As well as rapidly ramping up the number of models in its stable, Cupra says it will also work at boosting both its profit on margins on all the cars it sells.

“Tonight, we show the entire range of Cupra’s next generation of heroes to be launched by 2025,” said Cupra chief executive Wayne Griffiths.

“In the mid-term, our aim is to deliver 500,000 cars per year and push forward with our international expansion into new markets as well as entering new segments.”

During the event, Cupra also previewed future versions of the Leon, Formentor and Born, all of which will be “renewed” by 2025.

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