Born identity: Cupra launches electric hot hatch
The new Cupra Born aims to be fun to drive as well as environmentally friendly, but the design has a familiar feel to it
Cupra has unveiled its first 100% electric production car, called Born. Developed at the Seat design centre in Barcelona, the model follows on from the el Born concept that was first shown at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show and isn’t too far off in terms of appearance.
The small hatch shape is familiar, though less common nowadays with the SUV boom and general tendency towards larger cars. Jorge Díez, head of design at Seat and Cupra, says the details are designed to reflect the sporty and fun-to-drive nature of the Born. At the front, the car takes its form from the low swinging sweep of the bonnet, with two lines extending from the A-pillars down to the inner corners of the headlamps. Two smaller ridges are positioned either side of the Cupra logo and drawn the eye to the word ‘Cupra’ written in the shelf that connects the lamps.
Beneath the shelf, body work rises to create a lip and a point of impact for the air while the car is in motion. There is also a large air intake area in place of a bumper, framed in copper, which funnels air into the radiator for battery thermal management. Two sharp pieces of body work extend from the outside-in at the bottom, generating an aggressive hook shape that connects to the copper frame.
From the side, the short overhangs and silhouette are reminiscent of the Volkswagen ID3 – no surprise there as the two models share the same platform. There is another hint behind the windows, where the textured area on the Cupra Born is nearly identical to the one on the ID3.
At the back, the Born is characterised by a high-riding bumper that pushes up into the body work. This gives the EV a deceptively chunky and wide back, which is aided by the light bar that connects the rear lamps. There is some busy detailing around the back bumper, with a small, slatted strip that includes the same textured pattern as the front air intake area.
The inside of the Born is very Cupra-esque. A three-tiered dash includes a textured metallic middle section, and the air vents are housed in copper frames. The steering wheel is the same as the one inside the Ateca and Formentor, with the bubbled middle ball and the Cupra logo at its centre.
Sustainability was a key focus when selecting components for the interior. As a result, the central section of the bucket seats uses Seaqual Yarn – a material produced from waste plastics floating in the sea. Dinamica is also used on the seats as well as on the door panels, which is made from PET plastic bottles.
Cupra is banging the eco drum with the Born. It says it has used energy from renewable sources to help in the supply chain and plans to offset the remaining emissions caused by making the models by investing in environmental projects. Hopefully, we get to see how those investments manifest.