CUPRA BORN

Cupra has endeavoured to make its first electric car more than just a souped-up Volkswagen ID 3. Has it succeeded?

- PIERS WARD

TESTED 7.10.21, BARCELONA, SPAIN ON SALE EARLY 2022 PRICE £40,000 (EST)

It’s a bit too easy to get chin-scratchy in this business, surrounded as we are by other enthusiasts in the bubble of motoring journalists and manufacturer representatives. But there does seem to be a theme running through conversations going on at the moment, both inside and outside the bubble, as more and more people end up discussing how to make electric cars both exciting and different. Everyone is well aware that change is coming but isn’t quite sure how it’s going to manifest itself for the people in this world who love cars.

It’s a real concern, because a lot of manufacturers are proposing platform sharing. The economies of scale make financial sense, and to a certain extent it’s no different to what the Volkswagen Group has been doing for years with ICE cars, but with the company’s new MEB platform and the numbers involved, it takes on a whole new meaning. Some estimates have 50 million EVs being built on the MEB – a vast number. In a world where EVs are arguably more susceptible to being homogeneous white goods, it really is a worry.

In light of all that, step forward the latest to try to persuade us that all will be okay with the strategy: the Cupra Born.

This was originally conceived as the Seat el-Born concept, but as time went on, Volkswagen Group suits decided to launch it as a Cupra. It makes sense: people are prepared to pay more for a Cupra, and with a starting price of around £31,500 for the most basic model (exact prices will be published in December), it isn’t as cheap as customers expect of a Seat.