Cupra presents battery-electric ‘UrbanRebel’ concept
With the ‘UrbanRebel Concept’, the Seat subsidiary Cupra has presented its idea of a sporty electric small car. The concept car at the IAA Mobility is a design study that is intended to give a preview of the “urban electric vehicle” that is to be launched on the market in 2025.
At the unveiling of the concept in the run-up to the IAA Mobility in Munich, Cupra claimed to be “pushing the boundaries with its most radical interpretation of an electric city car”. Indeed, the study’s mighty rear wing is likely to have little in common with a production small car – downforce is a rather secondary issue at 50 km/h or even at 100 km/h on the city motorway. The airflow around the wheel arches is also strongly reminiscent of a racing car.
“This racing concept gives a glimpse of and will inspire the design language of the city car of the future,” says Wayne Griffiths, CEO of Cupra. In other words, the design will be edgy and probably bold, even in the production version. The triangular headlights are considered to be set, the front design is somewhat reminiscent of the Cupra Born. The special, multi-coloured paintwork also contributes to the overall impression. “Every contour line and every shaped surface of its design is brought to life by a paint finish that uses kinetic particles,” explains Jorge Diez, Cupra’s head of design.
However, Cupra also states in the release that “elements of the motorsport concept car” will be incorporated into the road version. However, the production car is also to be given a “rebellious character”.
The UrbanRebel Concept is powered by an e-drive with a continuous output of 250 kW and a peak output of 320 kW. However, these are not likely to be the specifications that the platform makes possible: the city car is to be based on Volkswagen’s “short” MEB. It is possible that there will be further details on the series drive at the start of the trade fair, then Volkswagen will show its – possibly somewhat more sober – interpretation of an e-small car on the same basis.
For Cupra and Seat, the 4.08-metre-long city runabout is of great importance, especially economically. “The urban electric car is a key strategic project not only for our company, but also for the Volkswagen Group, as our aim is to produce more than 500,000 urban electric cars per year in Martorell for different Group brands,” says Griffiths. “The urban electric car will democratise and make accessible electromobility to the masses.”
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