Cupra fires up UrbanRebel EV concept
Pocket-sized racer is a preview of cheaper electric model
SPANISH performance brand Cupra has revealed the UrbanRebel, a dramaticlooking creation that’s a first glimpse of the model that will lead the VW Group’s push into more affordable electric cars.
The concept is said to preview the design language that Cupra will use when it brings its smallest all-electric model to market in 2025. The show car is being introduced as a motorsport model – hence the enormous rear wing – but the overall shape is a guide to how Cupra’s designers will use the allelectric platform for a small car.
The profile reveals a very low and short bonnet line, along with an extremely short front overhang. There’s also a wraparound screen and a ‘floating’ roof graphic that references Cupra’s forthcoming Tavascan. Elsewhere, the brand claims that the strong shoulders above the rear wheelarches are a new interpretation of a styling cue from the existing Formentor SUV.
SEAT is currently leading development of the VW Group’s project for more affordable EVs. Called MEB Entry, the platform focuses on vehicles of around four metres in length, and the concept follows this principle by being 4,080mm long, 50mm longer than SEAT’s current Arona. However, the show car’s roofline is significantly lower than the baby SUV’s.
There’s no evidence of a pair of rear doors on UrbanRebel – but given buyer trends, it seems likely that the production model will be a five-door vehicle.
Cupra says the UrbanRebel has 335bhp on tap but that it can produce up to 429bhp for short periods, delivering a 0-62mph time of just 3.2 seconds. These numbers – and what is likely to be a dualmotor configuration – will be dialled back considerably for the final vehicle.
Confirmation that the vehicle will be a Cupra could be significant for the SEAT brand; at present, there are no pure-electric SEATs in the pipeline, despite the VW Group’s huge push in this direction.
Introducing the car as a Cupra is also likely to mean that the first MEB Entry car will not be sold for the project’s target price of £17,000. The brand’s positioning – north of VW, but cheaper than Audi – means that it will probably have one of the platform’s larger battery capacities, and won’t have to match cheaper MEB Entry cars such as the baby Skoda EV. As such, a starting figure of more than £20,000 would seem likely.
“Cupra says the UrbanRebel’s 429bhp means 0-62mph takes 3.2 secs”