After a long teasing campaign, Cupra, the performance brand established by Seat, launched its first all-electric car. It is called Born, which means birth. The car is a hatchback with sporty looks.
Underneath the CUPRA Born sits one of the most advanced electrified powertrains that has been engineered to deliver electrifying performance.
There are four battery variants customers can choose from, ranging from a 150PS model with 211 miles of range through to an option with up to 231PS and 335 miles of range. The fastest-accelerating model hits 31mph (50km/h) from standstill in just 2.6 seconds and on to 62mph (100km/h) in 6.6 seconds.
The powertrain utilises a 16,000rpm permanent magnet synchronous motor, integrated above the rear axle. Torque is transferred across the rear axle using a single-speed transmission with differential, ensuring smooth power delivery and driver confidence during cornering.
The CUPRA Born uses a water-cooled, multi-pouch lithium-ion battery system housed low and centrally in the car to offer the best centre of gravity –using it as an advantage to deliver enhanced driving dynamics.
The aluminium structure, in which the battery is housed, is bolted to the MEB body, increasing overall rigidity.
The system’s efficiency is monitored by the onboard thermal management system that maintains the battery’s temperature, ensuring it stays within the optimal temperature range. The battery includes a base plate with integrated water channels connected to the coolant circuit.
Customers can add 62 miles (100km) of range in as little as seven minutes using a 125kW charging point (77kWh battery only), making typical journeys as simple and easy as if using a combustion engine vehicle. The battery can be recharged from 5% to 80% in as little as 35 minutes (125kW).
Born is compatible with both AC and DC charging networks, so whether you’re on the road or at home, replenishing the battery is quick, simple and hassle free.
Customers can have a CUPRA-branded wallbox installed allowing easy and convenient charging at home, controlled via the ‘CUPRA Easy Charging’ smartphone application (accessed via Wi-Fi or 4G connection).
The underpinnings bring together the well-known, robust chassis technologies of MacPherson strut front suspension and an advanced multi-link rear design to optimise handling capabilities and maximise interior space.
The ride comfort and handling is enhanced with optional Dynamic Chassis Control – enabling the driver to tune the damper and shock absorber settings across four modes, ‘Range’, ‘Comfort’, ‘Individual’ or ‘CUPRA’.
With the battery positioned centrally between the axles, weight distribution is an almost perfect 50:50 with a low centre of gravity, imperative for a high-performance electric car.
The engineering team has gone to extremes to make sure that the CUPRA Born justifies carrying the iconic copper badge.
With the inclusion of speed-sensitive, progressive electric power steering and a specific ESC Sport button (Electronic Stability Control) – the CUPRA Born delivers in all conditions.
The front aesthetic focuses on the newly-designed full LED headlights, flanking the concave upper section that sits like a shark nose and the copper-framed lower intake designed to channel air towards the radiator for battery thermal management.
The bonnet incorporates three-dimensional shapes to help bend the light and bring the front end to life, while the volume sitting on top of the headlights and through the wings helps create the vehicle’s sporty stance.
The full LED headlamp signature is unique and instantly recognisable, enhanced by the small triangles on the side of each lamp. The lighting technology includes an animated ceremony as you approach and start the vehicle, adding to the overall experience.
The rear spoiler seamlessly connects to the C-pillar drawing the eye from the side aspect to the rear. A body coloured, integrated diffuser enriches the rear and gives it a sporty and aerodynamic character, ensuring the rear design is framed at both the top and bottom.
The rear coast-to-coast light delivers an impressive illumination, giving a more technological and refined look, but helps to provide a greater perceived width to the vehicle. The tailgate is flush with the bumper, giving a smoothness to the design. Within the bumper sits the number plate, reflectors, and the technical elements within an ‘island’ surrounded by body colour.
The MEB platform also brings new possibilities for interior design, maximising space thanks to the clever use of storage, such as the high centre console, which combines connectivity points with a large storage capacity. This space is designed and finished in the same neoprene material as the Bucket seats, giving greater cohesion to the design and enhancing the quality feel of the key touch points. The boot has a capacity of 385 litres.
All the lines on the dashboard are orientated towards the driver, while a more sculptural surface treatment is reserved for the front passenger’s area, creating two clearly divided spaces.
