CUPRA UrbanRebel arrives on VW's MEB Small platform in 2025
A purely electric compact car the size of a Golf, with 320 kW of peak power that sprints from 0 to 100 km/h in just 3.2 seconds: The UrbanRebel is a bold statement from the Cupra brand and was one of the real surprises at last year's IAA MOBILITY 2021 in Munich. The UrbanRebel will be on the road from 2025. The electric car on Volkswagen's "MEB" small platform stands for emotion and was designed and developed for a more rebellious electric world.
The CUPRA UrbanRebel is likely to be the first electric car from the VW Group to be built on the "MEB Small" platform to develop an emotional, urban performance vehicle. Werner Tietz, CUPRA's Board Member for Research and Development, said: "The CUPRA UrbanRebel will be the biggest project for our company in the coming years, as it is the key to our transformation into a fully electric brand. We are leading the development of this cluster, the family of vehicles that will democratise sustainable urban mobility. We are doing the groundwork for various brands within the Volkswagen Group."
Many facts are not yet known. Merely that sustainability is high on the agenda. For example, he says the 4.03-metre-long car is a sustainability hero that pushes the envelope by using advanced recycled polymers and bio-based materials to deliver an environmentally conscious vehicle. CUPRA also says that by combining 3D printing and 3D knitting techniques with parametric design, performance and value are enhanced.
As far as the technical data is concerned, it is known that the UrbanRebel is equipped with a 226 hp (166 kW) electric motor. This is supposed to accelerate the electric car from 0 to 100 km/h in 6.9 seconds. In the range version, the electric car has enough energy in its battery for about 440 kilometres. The CUPRA UrbanRebel, designed and developed in Barcelona, will be launched in 2025. Production is planned in Martorell once the Spanish government's PERTE funding programme for the electric and connected vehicle is approved.
"The UrbanRebel is more than just a car for CUPRA. It is the model that will democratise urban electric mobility. Emotional, sexy, fun to drive and affordable at the same time. With it, we prove that electric cars don't have to be boring. It is the entry model for the next generation in our brand." - Wayne Griffiths, CEO of CUPRA
Other MEB small variants of the electric cars are in the pipeline across the group: the ID.Life is due to hit dealerships in 2025 and is likely to be priced between €20,000 and €25,000. In line with the brand positioning, the Skoda will be available at a slightly lower price, while the Cupra will probably be more expensive than the ID.Life due to its higher-quality and sportier equipment.