The Born, Cupra’s first fully electric car, has just arrived with prices starting from under €39,000 excluding grants and delivery. Customer cars will arrive in early 2022.
It comes with a range of three power outputs with up to 231PS available and a range of 540km is claimed from a 77kWh battery pack in the floor of the car.
It’s also a more sustainable car, with parts of its interior made from upcycled marine plastics, making the whole thing net neutral for CO2 by using renewable energy during production with any remaining emissions offset by environmental projects and investments.
The three power outputs available are 150PS, 204PS and an additional e-Boost pack which gives 231PS and a 0-100km/h time of 6.6 seconds. This model comes with larger front brakes and 19” wheels as standard.
Three battery sizes are also on offer, starting with 45kWh, which gives a range of 350km. The middle spec is a 58kWh battery, offering 424km of range while the top 77kWh battery offers 540km before it runs out of electrons. Supporting 170kW charging, the Born can charge to 80% from 5% in 35 minutes.
Like all the current Volkswagen Group electric cars, the Born is rear wheel drive, which is preferred by enthusiastic drivers. The centre of gravity is kept low by the batteries and the chassis is equipped with MacPherson struts at the front with a five link multi-link at the rear. Dynamic Chassis Control is optional and gives a lowered ride height by 15mm at the front and 10mm at the rear.
Five driving modes are available: Range, Comfort, Performance, Individual and on the e-Boost, CUPRA.
All the usual driver assistance systems are standard and there’s a head up display to project key information onto the windscreen. A 12” infotainment screen also supports online services, remote access and downloadable apps.
The exterior features LED lighting as standard and a choice of alloy wheels from 18” to 20”, which are accented in copper. LED lighting runs right across the rear of the car.
