First Born: Cupra reveals five-door EV family hatchback

Published on 26 May, 2021

Overview

CUPRA’s first fully electric car, the Born, will go on sale here later this year – but realistically for the January market. Details of the sporty five-door family hatch have just been revealed.

The emphasis is firmly on looks and some performance, with those who like a sporty drive very much a target customer. There is no word on pricing as yet.

There are three battery packs – 45kWh, 58kWh and 77kWh.

The entry-level 45kWh battery has a range of around 340km, the 58kWh version can cover around 420km on a single charge, while the larger 77kWh model is capable of a 540km range, they claim.

There will be an e-Boost performance option with the top versions that increases power to 231PS – but it won’t be available until next year.

The Born marks a key phase in the development of the Cupra brand as it is its first 100pc electric vehicle. Currently it has plug-in hybrid variants of the Leon, Formentor and Leon Sportstourer. 

The new stand-alone brand says it will use unconventional sales models to reach new customers.

At its global digital launch, they described it as a “game changer” in the sporty family five-door hatchback sector.

As it is based on the Volkswagen Group’s MEB platform, it shares underpinnings with the popular VW ID.3.

A 12-inch infotainment touchscreen will come as standard and there will be an augmented reality head-up display, digital gauge cluster, etc.

A fair bit of the interior has been made from low-environment-impact materials. The bucket seats, for instance, are made from materials consisting of plastic waste extracted from the oceans.

Standard safety systems are expected to include predictive adaptive cruise control, traffic sign recognition, and emergency and pre-crash assists.

As they are aiming it at the sportier end of the market, it will come as no surprise to find there is a sport suspension, progressive steering, larger brakes and wider tyres on 20-inch alloys.

Like all electric cars, it gets all its power from the start – in this case it is capable of 0-to-100kmh in 6.6 seconds (58kWh version).

The 77kWh battery pack is compatible with a 125kW DC fast charger, meaning it can boost 100km in just seven minutes.

Meanwhile, Opel has released full details of its electric Manta GSe ElektroMOD – the first electric modified car in the brand’s history.

The old four-cylinder petrol engine makes way for an electric motor with 147hp.

But in keeping with blending the old and the new, you can still choose to manually shift four gears (the original had a four-speed box) or just drive automatically in fourth.

Power from the 31kWh lithium-ion battery goes to the rear wheels and will give you a range of 200km, making it, realistically, an urban EV.

Regular charging is carried out with a 9.0kW onboard charger (for single-phase and three-phase AC boost). It takes under four hours to fully charge.

There are 17-inch alloys, 195/40 R17 tyres at the front and 205/40 R17 at the rear.

Inside the styling of the 1970s  has been kept on but there are major new inclusions: two integrated, driver-oriented, 12-inch and 10-inch screens dominate the dash.