Cupra Born EV almost sold out before it arrives

Cupra Australia has just about sold out of the upcoming 2023 Cupra Born even before first local customer deliveries of the ground-breaking electric hot hatch take place in March.

The flourishing Spanish performance brand announced a sub-$60,000 starting price for the Cupra Born on December 16 before officially opening the order book on December 20.

Now it says it has less than 60 examples of the rear-drive, zero-emissions five-door remaining available to order out of an initial allocation of 400.

There’s no word yet on when the next batch will arrive or how many vehicles it will contain, but that hasn’t stopped Cupra’s local division enjoying the initial success of its first EV.

The Born’s popularity follows the surprise market reception for the plug-in hybrid (PHEV) Cupra Leon VZe hot hatch and Cupra Formentor VZe compact SUV, both of which nearly sold out in less than a week.

Cupra Australia director Ben Wilkes said the vast majority of the brand’s local customers were private buyers who identified and capitalised on the affordable pricing of the brand’s models, especially the electrified ones.

“As a brand we are moving quickly into a fully electrified future, and the response to the CUPRA Born demonstrates that Australians have a voracious appetite for plug-in models that both reduce their emissions, are stylish and fun to drive,” he said.

“Being compact, rear-wheel-drive, with instant torque and teamed with a long 500km-plus range places the Born in a unique position in the market – and all for less than $60,000 before on-road costs.”

Unlike other markets, Australia is only privy to one Born variant, which is priced at $59,990 plus on-road costs and comes with an 82kWh battery pack – the biggest one offered globally.

The local version will cover up to 510km on a single charge and reel off the 0-100km/h sprint in seven seconds flat thanks to the 170kW/310Nm outputs of its single electric motor.

However, that acceleration figure is down on the 6.6sec 0-100km/h time enjoyed by markets with access to the lighter 58kWh variants that could become available here next year.

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