These new photos of the ultimate automobile showcase the manufacturing mannequin enterprise some last winter testing, earlier than it makes its full debut. 

Cupra says its engineers have racked up greater than 19,000 miles throughout the Born’s chilly climate improvement programme, at temperatures as little as -30°C, with many of the exams designed to emphasize the bounds of the automobile’s adaptive dampers and chassis management programs.

Save for a set of production-friendly alloy wheels and a brand new badge, the Cupra Born seems to be close to similar to the SEAT El-Born idea from the 2019 Geneva Motor Present. It shares the identical quick bonnet, fared-in radiator grille, giant quarter gentle home windows and tailgate spoiler.

It must also line-up with the expectations set out late final 12 months, when the El-Born was previewed carrying Cupra badges. The production-ready Born EV will even characteristic a variety of sporty styling cues, such a lowered ride-height, 20-inch alloy wheels, aggressive entrance and rear bumpers, finned facet skirts and a pair figure-hugging bucket seats.

Chassis and powertrain

The Cupra Born is predicated on the identical MEB underpinnings because the Volkswagen ID.3, with an electrical motor powering the rear axles. 

A battery pack with a nominal capability of 82kWh signifies that a variety of as much as 310 miles below WLTP must be potential. The ID.3’s smaller 62kWh nominal battery pack shall be out there on decrease vary variations of the Born, offering round 260 miles on a full cost. 

With the MEB platform comes 100kW DC charging, that means the hatchback can recuperate an 80 % cost in round 47 minutes or tackle 161 miles of vary in simply half-hour.

Inside and gear

Like the entire Volkswagen Group’s MEB automobiles, the Cupra Born has a protracted wheelbase relative to its total size, which ought to enable it to ship the inside house of a automobile from the category above. As such, boot house must be on par with the SEAT Leon, however there must be extra legroom for rear seat passengers.

The Cupra Born’s cabin is much like the ID.3’s with a digital instrument binnacle, a floating 10-inch infotainment display and touch-sensitive controls for the automobile’s heating and air flow system. It’ll additionally characteristic a pair of racy bucket seats and a sporty Alcantara-trimmed steering wheel.

Cupra has additionally confirmed the Born will characteristic the ID.3’s new augmented actuality head-up show, plus smartphone connectivity by way of the automobile’s infotainment system and an built-in heat-pump system that doesn’t draw vitality from the automobile’s battery pack to heat the cabin. 

Pricing and positioning

Given the Cupra Born’s upmarket branding, we count on it would stray from the Volkswagen ID.3’s pricing technique. 

Fairly than costing “the equal of a well-specced diesel Golf” – the road typically touted by VW executives earlier than the rollout of the now expansive ID.3 line-up, costs will possible be corresponding to the current-generation Cupra Leon or Mk8 Volkswagen Golf GTI with a smaller variety of higher-spec fashions to select from, ranging from round £34,000.

Now learn all the most recent information on SEAT’s upcoming, pure-electric city EV right here…