Cupra announces UrbanRebel city EV

CUPRA has unveiled a pint-sized city EV, the UrbanRebel, based off its bonkers race-bred concept from last year and set for launch in 2025.

The paired back road-going UrbanRebel has been given the ‘sensible treatment’ compared to the racy concept — suitably raised and lengthened — but is still radical in its design.

When the wild UrbanRebel concept was unveiled in Munich last year, Cupra said it would “influence the road version of the urban electric car”, which it indeed has.

The road-going version is based off the Volkswagen Group’s MEB Small platform, shared with the VW ID.Life range, but with unique Cupra styling appropriately described by the company as ‘rebellious’.

The good news is, with the ID.Life expected to cost around €20,000 (A$30,000), the UrbanRebel, while likely to cost a little more given its unique manufacturing methods, should still offer a budget EV option for everyday Australians.

The front-wheel-drive compact EV will pack 166kW of punch, silently propelling it to 100km/h in 6.9 seconds and, with a range of up to 440km, it will offer up a healthy dose of driving between charges.

At 4030mm in length, the UrbanRebel lives up to its city-friendly focus, while also boasting a futuristic eco-friendly design ethos.

The focus on developing an environmentally friendly vehicle has seen Cupra endeavour to use advanced recycled polymers and bio-based materials, alongside a combination of 3D printed and 3D knitted manufacturing methods.

While we don’t have an exact weight from Cupra at this stage, the UrbanRebel is referred to as ‘lightweight’ by the brand, so we can assume the construction methods aid in delivering a featherweight offering.

Cupra made it clear that the UrbanRebel is a benchmark project and a key focus for the brand, with grand plans for it to “democratise” urban EVs.

“The Cupra UrbanRebel will be the biggest project for our company in the upcoming years, since it is key for our transformation as a fully electric brand,” said Cupra vice-president for research and development, Werner Tietz.

“The UrbanRebel is more than just a car to Cupra. This is the model that will democratise urban electric mobility.”

The Spanish car-maker also announced its broader plans for 2025, while unveiling the UrbanRebel and its larger siblings, the Terramar, and Tavascan.

“Tonight, we show the entire range of Cupra’s next generation of heroes to be launched by 2025,” said Cupra CEO Wayne Griffiths.

“In the midterm, our aim is to deliver 500,000 cars per year and push forward with our international expansion into new markets as well as entering new segments.”

Since being established in 2018, as a sub-brand of Spanish car-maker Seat, Cupra has seen staggering growth with global sales of more than €2.2 billion ($A3.5b) last year.

Until the UrbanRebel arrives down under, various other Cupra models will be available from as early as July this year, like the Leon hatch, Ateca small SUV, and ballistic Formentor performance SUV.

Given the immense growth trajectory of Cupra, the brand’s half-million-car-per-year delivery goal might not be overly ambitious.

“We know exactly where we want to go, and I promise you it will not be boring. Every single model we will bring to the market will be a step ahead on our journey,” said Mr Griffiths.

“We will stay true to ourselves and be authentic, this is the spirit of the Cupra Tribe. We’ll do this the Cupra way, like we always have. The future is electric. The future is Cupra.”