Cupra will reveal its first fully electric vehicle in concept form at this year’s Frankfurt motor show, and has previewed its interior design in a new image.
The company says the cabin will combine "materials and technology to deliver a driving environment like no other vehicle", with angular lines and carbonfibre-aping trim continuing the model's sporty exterior design theme.
Cupra's new EV, which it says will combine elements of a sports coupé and an SUV, will feature a sports-style steering wheel with a prominent pointed centre. Wheel-mounted ignition and driving mode controls, as well as a G-meter and sharpened door mirror design, hint at the model's performance ambitions.
The Seat sub-brand, which is focused on premium performance cars, showed its first standalone car, the Formentor SUV-coupé, earlier this year. It will follow that up with the electric concept car, which will preview its first production EV.
Cupra previously released a single preview image of the concept's exterior, saying the car will unite “the silhouette of a four-door crossover with the presence of an SUV and the sleekness of a sports coupé”. It follows a teaser video, which gave glimpses of the headlight design.
Although Cupra has not confirmed details of the new concept, it will be based on the Volkswagen Group’s MEB electric platform, which will be used for parent firm Seat’s el-Born EV. It is likely to be a more extreme version of that car.
That would match how the Formentor, which will be offered with a plug-in hybrid powertrain, is a heavily reworked coupé version of the Seat Ateca SUV.
When Seat turned Cupra into a standalone brand last year, bosses said it would act as a “technological flagship”, including in electrified powertrains. Cupra describes the new concept as “a vision of the future” of the brand.
The EV concept has been termed a “high-performance vehicle”, suggesting it could get one of the most powerful motor options available for the new MEB platform – likely to feature a motor on each axle, offering four-wheel drive.
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Has an extremely hardcore
Has an extremely hardcore look with all those scarce surfaces and bare (fake) carbon fibre. Quite a cool idea for a premium car, but that'll never make it into the final car. It'll all be covered up with some nice plastic.
I wonder how many concepts have been spoiled by safety regulations.
Whilst there isn't much to
Whilst there isn't much to see I do like the LED strip tail light incorporating the cupra badge, looks impressive to me as does the overall profile shape which you can just about make out.
At what cost...?
Is Seat in danger of losing its value for money for a slice of the premium Cake?
Peter Cavellini wrote:
Some of your posts have been pointed out previously...you are unable to differentiate between cheap and VFM and in this one alone, you have really gone to town with mixing up metaphors...sort yourself out.
Let’s see....
Peter Cavellini wrote:
Whilst I agree SEAT has always been value for money and I've always thought better vfm than Skoda which is often cheaper but either less well equipped or a bit more basic inside, this we noticed when buying our Mii, however I don't think SEAT has ever had a slice of the premium cake as like VW they are not a premium brand.
But this is cupra branded which like DS is trying to be a premium brand so pricing will likely be higher.