Cupra Born EV is Spanish brand’s ‘most important’ model

Cupra’s global boss has anointed the incoming 2023 Cupra Born electric car as the most important vehicle in the fledgling Spanish brand’s Australian line-up and is also calling on the newly-installed federal Labor government to take a hard-line EV policy.

Speaking with media at the launch of the Cupra brand in Sydney last night, global chief executive Wayne Griffiths said Australia would be given preferential treatment with its allocation of the Cupra Born, which officially launches at the beginning of next year.

More broadly, Cupra will add an additional two battery-electric models and a plug-in hybrid – the Tavascan, UrbanRebel and the Terramar respectively – by 2025 on its way to becoming a strictly EV brand by 2030.

Griffiths said the Born, which is expected to start at about $55,000 (but will have its pricing officially confirmed around September), would set the bar for more affordable generation of EVs in Australia.

“The most important launch I think for the brand in Australia will be the Cupra Born, the first fully electric car,” Griffiths said.

“It’s still very early to be launching a fully electric car in Australia.

“When you drive around, you don’t see many electric cars, you don’t see many in general.

“But it will happen because it needs to happen, it’s going to happen everywhere. The electrification is the only way to get to zero emissions at the moment in passenger cars, at least.”

While he wouldn’t be drawn on exact pricing, Griffiths said further afield the Cupra UrbanRebel would undercut the Born both in size and price to effectively become the brand’s EV price leader.

Griffiths argued a hard-line EV policy in Australia would not only promote the introduction of more vehicles from overseas, but would dramatically increase take-up.

“I think an EV policy with a clear message to the consumers that it’s the right thing to do to buy electric cars or cars with low or zero emissions [is needed],” Griffiths said.

“Because without that, then you see there’s a lot of, ‘Let’s wait and see whether this is just a passing thing or do they really work? How long do the batteries last? Where can you charge them? They’re too expensive…’

“So all these rumours and stories around EV tend to disappear in the moment where governments make clear EV policies to support the sales of electric vehicles and to support the rollout of the charging infrastructure because it goes hand in hand.

“As well, customers want to know they’re doing something smart, but not smart just for the environment, but smart for the pocket.

“And then on top of that, to know that it’s going to be backed, that they’re going to be able to be mobile everywhere they go.”

The Albanese government has begun fulfilling EV-related promises and pledges made in the run-up to the federal election, including abolishing trade tariffs and exempting EVs priced below $77,565 from fringe benefits tax.

Griffiths argued that strong federal government assistance would be critical, citing what has happened overseas.

“This is a personal view, not necessarily a company view, but it will be essential in all governments around the world to do something about that,” he said.

“The trigger always in all markets that I’ve seen the EV rollout, starting in Norway … was a clear EV policy for private customers and for business customers to make it sense to buy an electric vehicle.”

“With that policy the take-up goes quite quickly. Most markets go from below five per cent [EV market share] to 20 per cent within a period of three years,” he said.

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