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Cupra Australia has confirmed it won't reintroduce the Born electrical hatchback, astatine slightest for the foreseeable future.
In a connection to CarExpert, the caput of merchandise for the Spanish brand's section division, Jeff Shafer, said determination are "no plans" to bring the now-discontinued Born backmost to Australia anytime soon, pursuing a facelift for 2026.
He said the company's electrical conveyance (EV) absorption is alternatively present firmly connected the larger Tavascan electrical SUV, and the smaller Raval electrical hatch revealed earlier this year.
"While the Born isn't presently disposable successful Australia, it's not a conveyance we've forgotten about. Right now, our EV absorption is connected Tavascan and the upcoming Raval, and ensuring each exemplary has a wide relation wrong the Cupra range," Mr Shafer said.
"We'll proceed discussions with our planetary team, and portion determination are nary plans to reintroduce Born astatine this stage, we'd ne'er accidental never."
The Cupra Born archetypal arrived successful Australia successful 2023 aft debuting successful 2021, and was the Spanish brand's archetypal EV globally. It shares its rear-wheel thrust Volkswagen Group MEB architecture with the VW ID.3, ID.4 and ID.5, arsenic good arsenic the larger Cupra Tavascan, and the Skoda Elroq and Enyaq.
It was really the archetypal of the Volkswagen Group's dedicated EVs to get successful Australia, pursuing a fig of delays and strategical changes for brands including Volkswagen and Skoda. It remains the lone non-SUV exemplary based connected the dedicated-electric MEB level to marque it Down Under.
After pre-orders opened successful December 2022, Cupra sold 1654 examples of the Born until the extremity of May 2025, with the single-variant motorboat scope initially meant to beryllium replaced by the 240kW Born VZ blistery hatch.
Cupra Australia ne'er ended up releasing the show variant, but did import 1 valuation conveyance which was subsequently sold to a keen purchaser for an advertised terms implicit $70,000.
While the archetypal Born offered aggregate artillery and e-motor output options successful overseas markets similar Europe, Australia lone received the high-output 170kW mentation with the long-range 77kWh artillery for the MY23 and MY24 physique years – again with the objection of that sole VZ example.
In March this year, Cupra unveiled the facelifted Born with a much assertive exterior, and an upgraded interior with a much luxurious consciousness and immoderate old-school switchgear.
Beyond the plan and worldly upgrades, the refreshed Born debuted a caller Android-based operating strategy for its in-car displays (including a larger 10.25-inch integer instrumentality cluster), arsenic good arsenic enhanced driver-assistance systems.
With the larger 79kWh battery, the Born claims to connection implicit 600km of WLTP-certified driving scope betwixt charges, portion the high-performance VZ claims a 5.6-second dash from 0-100km/h.
After initially being earmarked for imaginable reintroduction to Australia, it appears Cupra Australia conscionable can't marque the concern lawsuit enactment for its EV pioneer.
Instead, Mr Shafer has efficaciously confirmed the smaller Raval, revealed earlier this twelvemonth arsenic the brand's caller affordable EV, volition service arsenic the caller introduction constituent for Cupra Australia's electrified portfolio.
Measuring 4046mm long, 1784mm wide and 1518mm gangly connected a 2600mm wheelbase, the Raval has astir the aforesaid footprint arsenic the existing Volkswagen Polo – which makes consciousness fixed it's a duplicate nether the tegument to the caller all-electric VW ID. Polo – but it packs a monolithic 441 litres of footwear space.
In its location marketplace of Spain, the Raval volition beryllium offered with 4 electrical centrifugal outputs (85kW, 99kW, 155kW and 166kW), 2 artillery capacities (37kWh and 52kWh), and a driving scope of up to 450km connected the WLTP cycle.
In Spain, the Raval is positioned beneath the cheapest Leon Hatch, which successful Australia kicks disconnected from $46,990 earlier on-road costs. That could constituent to a starting terms astir the $40,000 people erstwhile the Raval yet makes it to Australia, apt successful 2027.
For reference, the Born was primitively launched astatine $59,990 earlier on-roads erstwhile it landed present successful 2023, and successful its runout signifier could beryllium had for astir $47,000 drive-away afloat optioned.
Despite grounds deliveries of EVs successful Australia during the archetypal fractional of 2026, amid precocious substance prices and shortages owed to struggle successful the Middle East, income of electrical rider cars (non-SUVs) aren't increasing arsenic rapidly arsenic their high-riding counterparts.
The pint-size BYD Atto 1 is Australia's best-selling electrical rider conveyance successful 2026 arsenic of June 30, returning 3254 registrations – placing it conscionable up of the once-top-selling Tesla Model 3 sedan (3192). For context, the larger and much costly Tesla Model Y mid-size electrical SUV, by acold and distant Australia's favourite EV, recovered 20,396 caller homes during the aforesaid period.
A full of 103,843 EVs were delivered successful the archetypal fractional of 2026 per information supplied by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) and the Electric Vehicle Council (EVC) – an 119.8 per cent summation connected the aforesaid play successful 2025, much than doubling their marketplace share.
Cupra's EV measurement truthful acold this twelvemonth is lone a tiny fraction of that grounds figure, with 287 Tavascans and 1 Born registered successful the archetypal six months of 2026.
MORE: 2027 Cupra Born facelift unveiled with carnal buttons, much assertive designMORE: Explore the Cupra Born showroom
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