A HOT version of the Ateca SUV will be the first car to be released under the Cupra brand since it became a standalone marque out of the SEAT stable.

Developing 300ps from a 2.0-litre turbo TSI petrol engine, the Cupra Ateca has a 0 to 60 time of 5.2 seconds and can top out at 153mph.

With a sporty body style and a quad exhaust system the car will be priced from £35,900 and will be available from a network of 25 specialist dealers which is being set up across the UK.

At the front, the grille is of honeycomb design and incorporates Cupra's orange coloured logo.

A four model line up will be headed by a Comfort, Sound and Design specification version priced from £41,175.

All Cupra Atecas will sit on 19-inch alloys and have LED headlamps as standard while inside they are trimmed in Alcantara and come with a digital instrument display and an eight-inch touchscreen which includes sat nav. There's also a vehicle information display which includes the likes of G-force meters, turbo boost and other sporty settings.

On the connectivity front, the car is fully smartphone compatible and also has a full array of driver aids including blind spot monitors, lane departure warnings and rear cross traffic alerts.

The Cupra Ateca comes with an adaptive sports suspension system and all models are four-wheel-drive using SEAT's 4Drive set up which has six drive modes including an off-road setting and a Cupra mode which is designed for optimum performance.

Fuel economy is officially rated at 38.2mpg with emissions of 168g/km.

The Cupra models will be built alongside the regular SEAT Atecas in the Czech Republic at the Kvasiny factory which also produces the Skoda Karoq.