Cupra El-born
New Cupra El-born, due next year, will be a more dynamic EV than its VW ID 3 sibling
Electric hot hatch lined up for 2021
The next Cupra model is an electric hot hatch called the El-born. It was first seen as a Seat concept but will enter production as a Cupra with “significant design and performance upgrades”, and a Seat-badged version is now looking unlikely.
Due on sale in 2021, the El-born is said to bring “sustainable mobility with a unique character and dynamism”. It will be the first performance-oriented car in the Volkswagen Group’s portfolio to use the modular MEB electric platform.
Only scant technical detail has been released. The EV is powered by a 77kwh (82kwh gross) lithium ion battery pack that sends power through a rear-mounted electric motor of undisclosed output.
Cupra promises a range of up to 310 miles on a single charge, with rapid charging making it capable of receiving 161 miles worth of charge in 30 minutes. That’s significantly more than the El-born was expected to launch with in Seat form. The concept featured a 62kwh battery for a range of 261 miles.
No 0-62mph time has been released, but Cupra quotes a 0-31mph time of 2.9sec for its version of the El-born. For reference, the Seat El-born concept promised 0-62mph in 7.5sec using a 201bhp electric motor, while last year’s Meb-based Cupra Tavascan electric SUV concept offered 302bhp and four-wheel drive.
The El-born’s look has been changed from the original concept’s, particularly at the front end, where there is a more aggressive redesign.
The El-born also brings to the Cupra brand new features that made their debut on its Volkswagen ID 3 sibling, including an augmented reality head-up display.
Cupra-specific interior additions include sports bucket seats, copper detailing and a racier steering wheel design with drive mode buttons.
The El-born will be manufactured alongside the ID 3 at the Volkswagen Group’s plant in Zwickau, Germany.
It will join the Formentor plug-in hybrid SUV (for which pre-orders have now opened) in 2021 alongside the existing Cupra Leon and Ateca – two cars that have racked up a combined 40,000 sales in the two years since the brand split from its Seat parent firm.
The Tavascan remains on the cards as an “important model” for Cupra, but CEO Wayne Griffiths said a production decision still hasn’t been made.
Griffiths has also confirmed that a specific Cupra dealer programme will be rolled out over the coming months and years across Europe, offering a bespoke sales and aftersales experience that, he believes, will be key to Cupra’s success.