The Cupra Born has been previewed ahead of its production-ready unveiling next Tuesday (25 May).
First shown as the El-Born in 2020, the hot hatchback shares its MEB underpinnings and its overall silhouette with the Volkswagen ID 3 but adopts a raft of bespoke design features to set it apart.
The production Born looks to stay true to the concept, aside from losing the 'El' part of its model name. Shown in a matt blue finish with Cupra's trademark copper trim accents, it has a different front end to its Volkswagen sibling, incorporating angled LED headlights, a wider lower grille and a pointed bonnet that hints at its performance aspirations.
Elsewhere, we can see that the Born will feature bespoke wheel designs, a Cupra Formentor-style wraparound rear light bar and a black contrasting C-pillar.
Inside, preview images suggest copper detailing will be used on the centre console and door panels, with unique diamond patterning applied to various surfaces.
Speaking ahead of the production car's reveal, Cupra design boss Jorge Díez said the wheels being pushed out to the corners allowed the firm to "create a totally occupant-centric design with a very spacious interior".
He also explained the steps Cupra took to differentiate the Born from the ID 3: “The headlights identify with a person’s face, so we’ve angled them a little more than usual to express the character and determination of knowing what you want and going for it. The character is further accentuated by the prominent air intake at the bottom of the car to keep the car close to the road.”
“We’ve emphasised the width of the car with a horizontal light signature and combined it with a very pronounced diffuser, which increases the car’s efficiency and aerodynamics. We know that electrification has to go hand in hand with efficiency, and in this respect, the team has combined the two in perfect harmony.
"On the side, we’ve created angular shapes on the shoulder line and stretched the window graphics for a greater sense of tension and speed”.
It's not yet confirmed whether the Born will be available with the full array of drivetrains offered on the ID 3, but a 302bhp range-topper - as offered on the larger Volkswagen ID 4 - is believed to be out of the question, as the hatchback's shorter wheelbase can't accomodate that SUV's four-wheel-drive system.
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From an Oz perspective, I wouldn't mind another VW AG off-brand to knock a few thousand off another iteration of the corporate parts-bin, and it seems that "Cupra" is the flavour they want us to try next. ("Seat" kicked around for a few years in Oz and NZ, over two decades ago, but didn't leave much of a dent in our downunder car brand multiverse.)
The Cupra models shown in euro-car sites seem to be slightly better looking and somewhat better equipped than VW-brand equivalents, so if they keep that up for Oz, why not?
Not a proper Seat conversion, more an emergency reaction to a average CO2 problem.
And don't get me started on the Cupra branding.
Er, so VW's MEB platform doesn't have a front luggage compartment (a froot), which misses an obvious link back to the Beetle, and now it seems the hatchback-sized version can't fit a dual motor 4WD either. The cabin is cheap and suffers from poor ergonomics.
What on earth have they be playing at? Is this really the same company that brought us the Golf and all its siblings, surely the most successful car platform of all time?