Seat’s sister brand, CUPRA, has today revealed its Born (regular readers may have seen us preview an El Born at the start of the year. The ‘El’ being dropped).
It’s the brand’s first 100% electric vehicle and it certainly turns heads with its futuristic design. But it’s much more than just a pretty face. There’s a range of powertrain technology available on different models with ranges varying from 211 miles up to an eye-opening 335 miles, the likes of which only Tesla (various models) and VW (ID3) can claim to reach. Not only that but fast charging is possible with 62 miles of additional range delivered in as little as seven minutes.
The interior is upholstered in a range of materials that deliver a premium, quality feel, including the standard bucket seats made from upcycled marine plastics, while the manufacturer's press release states the Born will have the ‘latest-generation infotainment system, access to online services, an eco-system full of downloadable apps, safety and service features, as well as remote access’. We’ll let you know what we make of that when we get in one, but it certainly sounds promising.
CUPRA has spent considerable time on ride comfort and handling and claims to have hit the sweet spot via Dynamic Chassis Control – which enables 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.
On the design front, the newly-designed full LED headlights flank 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.
If you’re interested in buying a Born, you’ll have the choice of six bespoke alloy wheel designs, ranging from 18- to 20-inch in size, and include functional aerodynamic inserts and machine-finished copper highlights on selected designs.
The interior has been designed with a clear focus on ‘tomorrow’. CUPRA wants the to be a ‘truly digital place’ and it’s safe to say, from a first look at least, it will be, largely thanks to the floating 12-inch infotainment touchscreen that’s standard on all models. The 1560x700-pixel display has touchscreen options, physical buttons and voice control and, from the released information at least, seems to work in line with the majority of today’s cars in that it can be connected to both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, used for 3D navigation, music, climate control… the list goes on.
So it’s enough to get us excited at least, let’s see if it lives up to the hype! Let us know your thoughts below…