It looks more ready to attack the circuits or a rallycross event, but the CUPRA UrbanRebel Concept , in fact, shows us the Spanish brand's vision of not only what to expect from the brand's future design, but also anticipates a new urban electric model.
It is, without a doubt, a… rebellious way of interpreting an urban vehicle, but CUPRA wants to show that the electrification of the automobile can also be exciting and high-performance.
If your design is the thrilling part, the high performance is guaranteed by 250 kW (340 hp) of continuous power and 320 kW (435 hp) of peak power, allowing you to reach, says CUPRA, 100 km/h in just 3.2s.
Wayne Griffiths, Executive Director of CUPRA“The CUPRA UrbanRebel Concept is a radical interpretation of the company's urban electric car, due for release in 2025. This racing concept gives an idea of the design language of the future urban vehicle and will inspire its creation.”
In 2025 we will know the production model
It is unlikely that when we know the production version of the UrbanRebel Concept in 2025, it will come with such “firepower”, but underneath this “race car” appearance, we managed to extract some information about what to expect from this urban vehicle.
Perhaps the most indicative is its dimensions. The 4.08 m long, 1,795 m wide and 1,444 m high show that the urban electric future will “fit” in segment B, positioning itself below the CUPRA Born which is in the segment above.
The CUPRA UrbanRebel Concept thus joins the already announced SEAT Acandra, Skoda Elroq and Volkswagen ID.1 and ID.2. A diversity of models that will have the same base to unite them, a short variant of the MEB, one of the specific platforms for electric vehicles of the Volkswagen Group.
In other words, in the middle of the decade we will have a family of compact electric models in the Volkswagen Group whose objective is to democratize electric mobility, as Wayne Griffiths, executive director of CUPRA, tells us:
Wayne Griffiths, Executive Director of CUPRA“The urban electric vehicle is a key strategic project not only for our company but also for the Volkswagen Group, as our goal is to produce more than 500,000 urban electric cars a year in Martorell for the different brands of the Group. The urban electric vehicle will democratize and make electromobility accessible to populations”.
design for the future
If we can see beyond the aerodynamic apparatus, the UrbanRebel Concept also informs us about the future visual language of CUPRA, more progressive, but still very sporty and emotional.
The new triangular luminous signature and the black A-pillar — giving the glazed area the visual effect of a helmet visor —, the latter a solution first seen in the Tavascan concept (to be launched in 2024), will come to characterize future CUPRA , as well as the “floating” roof.
In the same vein, we'll see the negative surfaces at the front — under the headlights, giving the UrbanRebel Concept a “shark nose” — and at the back, limited at the top by the thin LED strip and brand symbol, enriching CUPRA's visual DNA. Finally, on the side, the highlight goes to the diagonal that starts from the C pillar and extends to the door.
All these elements are complemented with new surfaces, more organic in their development, which we started by seeing, also, first in Tavascan.
Jorge Diez, design director of CUPRA“The CUPRA UrbanRebel Concept offers a gamification look to the racing vehicle, projecting a radical interpretation of the company's urban electric car. Every contour and line that defines the body is brought to life by a paint that uses kinetic particles to add movement to the surface as light moves through it.”
The first public appearance of the CUPRA UrbanRebel Concept will take place on September 7 at the Munich Motor Show (IAA Munich International Motor Show), at the pre-opening of the new CUPRA City Garage in the German city.