Cheaper Cupra Born with smaller battery under consideration for Australia

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Cupra Australia could launch a more affordable Born electric hatchback in Australia that is positioned below the $59,990 long-range version soon to go on sale in Australia. 

Speaking with Cupra’s head of product and planning Jeff Shafer at the launch of the new Cupra Born, Chasing Cars asked whether the smaller battery pack could be a possibility for the new hatch. 

“The 58kWh battery is something I’m very interested in and we will keep working towards [that],” Mr Shafer said – while ruling out any argument that Cupra will chase the lowest price points in the EV market.

“It’s never that we want to be the cheapest. We have to be very transparent with the value on offer to the customer. We would have to look at the positioning. There are a lot of factors,” Shafer added.

While Shafer said that introducing a 58kWh model would trigger a review of Born pricing, it’s possible that the model with less range would arrive at a sub-$60,000 price point.

Cupra already offers the 58kWh battery in other markets

In other markets such as the United Kingdom and Europe, the Cupra Born has been available with the smaller 58kWh usable battery since late in 2021. 

In standard form, the smaller battery provides 150kW of power – just 20kW less than when optioned with the larger 77kWh battery already sold in Australia. Torque for the 58kWh model is rated at 310Nm – the same as the 170kW model. 

However, the 58kWh battery can be optioned with the full-fat 170kW power output – and because the smaller battery is 126kg lighter, the Born’s 0-100km/h time is slashed to 6.6 sec with the smaller battery – compared to 7.0 sec with the long-range battery.

WLTP electric range for the 58kWh variant is 350km, whereas the larger 77kWh battery has an estimated range of 450km (WLTP). 

The Cupra Born sits on the Volkswagen Group’s rear-wheel drive MEB electric architecture. Even smaller (and larger) batteries and power outputs are sold with other MEB models, but globally, the Born is currently only sold with 150kW/170kW and 58kWh/77kWh.

Cupra Born 2023: prices in Australia

All prices listed are before on-road costs.

• Born: $59,990