Cupra Born EV drives demand for Spanish brand

Cupra has confirmed a strong order bank for its first battery-electric vehicle, the Born hot hatch. Launched in April, the Born's already notched up 700 orders.

At the Born’s launch, Cupra confirmed that the first 600 cars had been built, meaning that – providing shipping goes smoothly – most of the 700 orders will be satiated by the initial batch.

Some 90 Borns have found homes in two months on sale, with 59 of those coming in May.

Cupra remains confident it can deliver over a thousand Borns to punters this year, which could prove compelling for buyers tired of the long waits confirmed by other brands.

“A third of Cupra’s orders are for our [Born] BEV or PHEVs (plug-in hybrid EVs)… Seven hundred of these are the fully electric Born, which was released only in April,” Cupra Australia director Ben Wilks said.

At the Born's launch, product boss Jeff Shafer told Wheels: “If demand is there, we're confident we can deliver four figures [of Borns] this year”.

Capable of 511km driving range from a charge, the Born starts at $59,990 before on-road costs. Its price makes it eligible for discounts in some states, likely driving interest.

Cupra’s small car is more affordable than a base Tesla Model 3, but dearer than an equivalent MG 4 – and early impressions suggest the MG 4 is going to provide some serious competition.

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Electrified Formentor SUV and Léon hatch popular too

Plug-in hybrid versions of the Formentor SUV and Léon hot hatch models are in-demand too, with 350 orders in for them.

While it doesn’t mean Cupra will overtake the goliaths of the EV and hybrid worlds – Tesla, BYD, and Toyota come to mind – it says something about the kind of buyer Cupra is courting.

“This tells us that CUPRA’s customers are all on board with our blend of dynamic design and driving, whether it comes in BEV, PHEV or ICE form,” said Wilks.

Cupra’s goal is to keep the Born in a perpetually on-sale state now that the worst of the Covid-19 pandemic’s effects on shipping and production are behind us.