Cupra Born EV for Oz by 2023, circa-$50K price possible

September 14, 2021September 21, 2021 Toby Hagon 3405 Views Cupra

Cupra is set to make a decision on bringing the Born EV to Australia within months with plans to have it on local roads by 2023, possibly sooner.

And its pricing could be a big surprise, with early estimations having the Cupra Born electric performance car starting at somewhere around $50,000.

The Volkswagen-based newcomer with headquarters in Barcelona – the brand was spun out of the Seat brand – says the Born EV is a crucial part of the development of the brand that will launch in 2022 with two electrified models, plug-in hybrid versions of the Formentor and Leon.

But having targeted 2030 as the year that every Cupra sold will be an EV – CEO Wayne Griffiths this month said “we have the ambition to become a fully electric brand by 2030” – the company clearly has electric cars as the priority, starting with the Born.

Cupra has already showcased a future electric SUV in the Tavascan concept as well as the more recent UrbanRebel concept.

“Electric cars have always been a really important part of Cupra,” says Cupra Australia brand director Ben Wilks, referencing the PHEV models slated for mid-2022.

But it’s the EVs that could make a bigger splash.

The Cupra Born rides on Volkswagen’s MEB EV architecture but steps up the driving nous with power and handling tweaks

“We always said the Born would be a matter of ‘when’ and not ‘if’,” he says.

“It’s a fantastic design, handling is very good, there’s a great opportunity with performance, especially the e-boost mode.”

Wilks says a decision should come by the end of 2021.

“I hope we’ll be able to say more by the end of this year and be quite clear then,” he says, adding that while 2023 is the target, “my boss [Wayne Griffiths] wants me to get that done a bit faster”.

He hasn’t ruled out the Born arriving as soon as 2022, although concedes the industry-wide shortage of semi-conductors adds a layer of complexity.

“I’d never say never [to 2022],” he says. “At the moment I’d say we’re probably in 2023”.

Based on the Volkswagen MEB (modular electric drive matrix) architecture that also underpins the Volkswagen ID.3 and ID.4, Skoda Enyaq and Audi Q4 e-Tron, Cupra has managed to inject some of its own personality in the way the car drives.

The Born has an optional e-boost performance package that increases the total system output to 170kW and 310Nm, well up on the 150kW/310Nm of the regular car (and the maximum currently available in the ID.4). It also has handling tweaks, including wider tyres.

Wilks says “that differentiation is important and it’s a clear part of the brand”.

That e-boost pack is available with a longer range 77kWh battery pack that is good for 540km.

Or you can choose a smaller 58kWh battery that lowers the range but also the weight, in turn reducing the claimed 0-100km/h time from 7.0 seconds to 6.6 seconds.

Wilks says the driving enjoyment is key for Cupra and that, like the ICE models, it will have “driver appeal at its core”.

The big question is how much the Born will cost, and best estimates suggest something around $50,000, possibly lower.

Wilks is cagey in his responses but says value is crucial.

“It would be ultimately an integral part of our range,” he says, highlighting the $40-65K price target the brand is putting on its entire range.

“The Born certainly sits within that sphere,” he says, adding it would be “a genuinely affordable European EV”.

“That opens up a section of the market that hasn’t been tapped yet.”

But expect surprises, with the Born likely to be closer to the MG ZS ($44,990 drive-away) – currently Australia’s most affordable battery electric vehicle – than the Tesla Model 3 Standard Range Plus (about $64,500 drive-away, before the EV discounts and incentives offered by various Australian states and territories) that is currently the top seller.

“From a value perspective I reckon the market will be quite pleasantly surprised by what we’re ultimately able to do,” says Wilks. “People don’t want to buy into technology at outrageous prices.”

But the biggest thing in the Cupra Born’s favour could be serious support from head office.

Australia is at the forefront of Cupra’s global expansion ambitions and pushing the EV strategy is part of that.

“It’s an excellent market to test the strength of Cupra beyond Europe and beyond South America where it’s already existing,” says Wilks, adding that Australians are “relatively open minded about choosing new brands”.

Think of Australia as a test case for Cupra as it looks to spread the brand.