Cupra ups its game for the younger generation

Cupra has come a long way since the days when it was a performance derivative of Seat. In 2018 it became a standalone brand and at its Unstoppable Impulse event in Terramar, Sitges in Spain, it revealed its vision for new models to 2025. Crucially this also includes being the lead on a brand new electric model for the Volkswagen Group in the form of the dramatic Cupra Urban Rebel based on the new MEB Small platform.

The new electrified models are the Tavascan and Terramar which show clear connections to existing Group models but with a Cupra take on design. Here Jorge Diez, director of design at Cupra, told Car Design News that there are clear signatures that differentiate the Cupra models.

“There are certain pillars that we follow like the triangle light signature that we have,” he says. “The triangle is something that we use in Cupra in many ways from the frontal design to the wheels with their six spokes with three marked in different colours to create a triangular look.”

He points out that it’s a human characteristic to identify with geometric shapes and that it’s the triangle that often represents stability, a fixing point. It’s also reminiscent of the shark nose, an inspiration from nature that is apparent in the latest Cupra designs.

“We have fun with the shark nose at the front,” he says. “It’s trying to break through resistance and somehow shows the attitude of the car to say I’m small but I don’t care, I push for everything, I want to eat the world somehow. It’s a bit of the attitude of our company now as well, that we can dream big.”

The shark nose might be a common inspiration in car design, but Diez says he’s not looking to create something common, in fact the vision is to be completely the opposite to the point of even accepting that some people won’t like the designs.

“We have something that is unconventional because we believe that we don’t want to make a rational design. We even say that we don’t want everybody to like us, we want some people to really love us and so we aren’t following mainstream design because when you go mainstream design and you try to please everyone, you start to make compromises. When you start compromising you lose a bit of the sense of who you are,” says Diez.

“Maybe you hate it, maybe you like it, but maybe you love it as well. For us this is good and somehow it is even changing the perception of the company. We are allowed to take more risk as designers and we aren’t penalised if go too far. Sometimes when we are in the selection of the models with the members of the board, some say this is a bit too much and we say if it’s too much this is good, it’s Cupra.”

That is most obvious in the new Urban Rebel, a compact fully electric model that is the first of a new crop of small cars that will come from the Volkswagen Group on its new MEB Small platform. With the exception of the large rear wing and other aerodynamic elements, it is almost identical to the concept and shows just how radical Diez and Cupra plan to be.

There’s a clear focus on a younger generation of drivers and this is most evident in the interior, which is still very driver-focused, but takes inspiration from the gaming world. Diez says it’s not about playing games, but how the driver and occupants can join in with other drivers and interact.

He’s quick to point out that this isn’t about racing against other drivers, but interaction in things like energy usage, having another car as your ghost to challenge, how best to tackle a bend in the road or the aim to achieve a high points score in some way.

“We’ve seen a new generation that is more focused on the mobile and on consoles but I think we have a chance to mix the two worlds, to be an attractive company for them and in the end, just to boost their emotions in a different way,” he says. It’s probably most obvious in the console like buttons on the steering wheel, but here too there is a focus on those who are passionate about driving.

“The steering wheel is very unusual because we chose to make it round,” he says sarcastically, having a bit of a dig at those opting for the yoke style. “We use a round steering wheel because for driving it is much better when you turn-in and at Cupra we love to drive, it’s something that is part of our DNA.”

You don’t want to be distracted by screens when you drive either and so the team have incorporated what Diez calls the ‘freedom’ button which will switch off various elements so you can focus purely on the driving. Even for the driver though, there are more gaming references with things like the Boost button with changes to the displays in the same way as when you select a power-up option in a game.

It’s not all about the tech though, with practical elements such as the rear headroom and the floating centre console, but Diez also acknowledges that the younger generation are looking for environmental aspects in design. Inspiration here comes from outside of the auto industry, from things like sneakers both in design and materials. It’s not about being premium though says Diez, rather it’s about being different.

“We’re not a premium brand, we don’t want to be. We don’t use leather, wood or chrome, the classical materials, we go a different way. This means materials like 3D printing or 3D knitting, many things used in sneakers that let us be more consistent with the environment, using less material as well in the right way,” he says.

Even what looks like carbon fibre in the lower part of the Urban Rebel, is not carbon fibre, it’s natural fibres with Diez saying that the next generation will not see going electric as enough, they are thinking about the environment too.

So what’s his favourite thing about the Urban Rebel? “I like the attitude of the car. It’s like a small bull, really muscular. Sometimes it’s difficult in a four metre car, when you have a longer car or a lower car, it’s much easier to express the sporty feeling. This says, I’m small but I dream big. We push the boundaries to create something unique and new and this is the car. It’s kind of like a rebel, but with a cause. “

There is very clearly a rebellious nature in both the company and the new models. As Diez points out, this won’t suit everyone’s tastes but it’s refreshing that he not only accepts this but even welcomes it. However, even with the radical design of the Urban Rebel, there is cohesion to the overall look, one that has appears properly thought through both from the perspective of car design and brand design. That’s not always the case these days, even within the VW Group. Now the attention moves to other brands that will use the MEB Small platform like Skoda and Volkswagen and it will be fascinating to see how they choose to play the game.