Cupra Born EV ‘a certainty’ in 2022 – with pricing below Tesla

Cupra says the Born EV is “a certainty” for Australia and it could be in dealerships within 12 months.

Better still, it will be priced well below the $59,900 (plus on-road costs) starting price of a Tesla Model 3, popping it in the sweet spot of the booming EV segment.

The fledgling Spanish brand that is part of the Volkswagen Group says that while it is yet to officially confirm the new electric hatchback is a done deal for Australia, it is indeed happening.

“The Born launching [in Australia] is a certainty,” Volkswagen Australia communications manager Paul Pottinger told EV Central.

And he says Volkswagen is “definitely aiming for 2022”, possibly only months after the planned mid-2022 launch of the Cupra brand.

FULL REVIEW: Cupra Born e-Boost tested
READ MORE: PHEVs to launch Cupra in Australia in mid-2022, EVs to follow

“The only thing that will stand in its way are logistics and production,” he added, highlighting the global microchip shortage that has impacted most brands around the world, in some instances forcing changes to cars or temporarily shutting production lines.

The Cupra Born uses the architecture and electrical system of the Volkswagen ID.3, but Cupra has added its own sporty flavour with a boost mode that temporarily unleashes more power.

It impressed during our European review of the car and it looks set to impress on pricing too.

Pottinger says the Born will be priced well below $60,000, making it one of the more affordable EVs on the market.

“It’s going to be considerably less expensive than a Tesla,” he says.

Cupra is understood to want to position it as close to $50,000 as possible, at which point it will comfortably qualify for state government EV incentives, including a $3000 rebate in NSW and Victoria and a stamp duty exemption in NSW.

The imminent arrival of the Cupra Born means the newcomer brand will beat Volkswagen to market with an electric vehicle.

Volkswagen says unprecedented overseas demand and a lack of emissions regulations in Australia has made it difficult to convince head office to divert cars Down Under.

However, the lower volumes of Cupra – a brand that has some serious work on building recognition in Australia – makes it easier to justify an EV.

“Cupra is a comparatively low volume brand … they don’t have those [same] supply constraints,” said Pottinger, who confirmed Volkswagen locally was keen to make the mid-sized ID.4 SUV its first battery electric vehicle in Australia.

And, no doubt, having the first competitively-priced European EV will do no harm in building that profile for Cupra.

The performance- and tech-focused brand was created from Spanish car maker Seat and is hoped to fill the void between mainstream and luxury brands.