All-electric Cupra Born spotted charging “in the wild” on Sydney roads

First photos of an electric Cupra Born “in the wild” have been snapped as local evaluation and testing continues ahead of a launch in late 2022.

The Cupra Born hot hatch will be the Volkswagen auto group’s first all-electric vehicle on the Australian market, and it is also the first foray for the Barcelona-based brand outside Europe.

It will launch in Australia ahead of the VW ID.4, which Cupra’s parent arm Volkswagen has said will be delayed to at least until 2023 in Australia as VW looks to satisfy European vehicle emissions restrictions (and of which there are none locally.)

Photos of the Cupra Born taken at East Village in Sydney and shared on Twitter by the account Electric Future show a sharp hot hatch in Aurora Blue, and The Driven is assured it has driven a lot further than Sydney’s inner east.

“If they can get enough of them into the country they’ll sell like hotcakes. Very nice looking machine,” said Chris Jones, president of the Australian Electric Vehicle Association (AEVA) on Twitter.

A number of Borns in fact arrived for local evaluation in January, and a spokesperson for Volkswagen said that by the time evaluation and testing is over they will have driven over 10,000km each, and to expect more news on the Born’s arrival soon.

The 4,322mm electric hatch is expected to enter the market at a “relatively affordable” price point, and it is thought that at least two battery choices of available with up to 150kW power from a single rear motor, 310Nm torque and maximum range of 548km (WLTP).

In Europe, it has the ability to charge at a maximum rate of 125kW on a DC fast charger adding 550km per hour of charging, and at home or the shops on an AC charger at 11kW.

The Born claims prize position as Cupra’s halo model and will join the Ateca SUV, Formentor crossover and Leon hatchback (with the latter available with plug-in hybrid drivetrain) as the Spanish marque makes it entry into Australia.

Production of the Cupra Born commenced in September 2021 in Zwickau, where it is made alongside the Volkswagen ID series using the same MEB modular electric platform.

Pricing and full specifications will be announced closer to launch.