This is the Cupra Tindaya concept, and it'll become a real car you can buy

Behold, the Cupra Tindaya, the lovechild of Cupra’s shooting brake ‘Dark Rebel’ concept from 2023, and a large-ish SUV. And the result is a 4.7m long hyper-aggressive crossover that serves as both a design manifesto for the Spanish brand, and a preview of a future production model. You’ll be able to buy one by around 2030 according to interim CEO Markus Haupt.

Cupra, if you haven’t being paying attention, is on a bit of a hot streak since becoming a separate company in 2018. It’s closing in on a total of one million cars sold, and last month it was the fastest growing brand in Europe. And that’s before it launches its new urban EV, the Raval (sister car to the VW ID. Polo and Skoda Epiq), early next year.

Back to Tindaya which, like all good concept cars, is named after “a volcanic mountain that rises from Fuerteventura, part of the Canary Islands in the wild Atlantic Ocean". Interestingly, there’s no mention of powertrain which is entirely understandable given the production car is at least five years away, but also speaks to mood in the industry right now. Yes, it’ll probably be all-electric, but why pigeon-hole yourself now when a plug-in hybrid could be a smarter choice come 2030?

We could regale you with re-hashed design titbits from the press release talking about the “lines that flow from the rear shoulder to frame the rear lights with a coast-to-coast digital mask", or inside the cabin where a 'Jewel' "awakens the vehicle, adjusts driving modes, and transforms the atmosphere through lighting, sound and ambient responses” (the glass triangle in the centre console to you and I). But you have eyes, I imagine you’re using them now to peruse the Tindaya’s scowling face and feast of slashes and vents. Minimalist it is not, striking it is - particularly the roof spine that holds two detachable panels, and the seats “a modern reinterpretation of the classic ‘Eames Lounge’” hanging off another spine that splits the 2+2 interior.

“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, who only became interim CEO this April following the surprise departure of British exec Wayne Griffiths, told Top Gear. He also confirmed a planned expansion into the US market was on hold for now (although the Tindaya would be the right-sized car for US customers) but launching the brand in the Middle East in the near future was looking promising.

On the threat of Chinese manufacturers flooding the European market, Haupt remained bullish: “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.”