The Volkswagen Group in May announced a major investment in its operations in Spain to prepare for production of a line of subcompact electric vehicles expected around 2025. And as part of the announcement, the manufacturer Automotive manufacturer has introduced one of the vehicles for each brand Volkswagen, Skoda and its SEAT.
On Tuesday, we received a preview of an additional subcompact EV that will be made in Spain, this time for the VW Group’s Cupra brand, in the form of an UrbanRebel concept. The real concept is first introduced in 2021 as a racing carbut the version announced on Tuesday is much closer to the mid-decade production model.
Each member of the new subcompact EV family will be a crossover based on VW Group’s MEB Small platform, a low-end version of the MEB dedicated EV platform that underpins VW’s ID.3 compact hatch and The ID.4 small crossover and in extended form are found in VW’s upcoming ID.Buzz pickup truck. MEB is also found in the Audi Q4 E-Tron.
UrbanRebel is just 158.6 inches long and is equipped with a single electric motor on the front axle. The engine produces a peak power of 223 hp and can accelerate the UrbanRebel to 62 mph from rest in 6.9 seconds. The largest battery pack planned for the vehicle, said to be a 57 kilowatt-hour unit, is said to be capable of providing a range of over 200 miles.
L to R: Cupra Tavascan, Terramar and UrbanRebel
The VW Group has previously stated its aim to offer an electric vehicle in Europe with a starting price of around 20,000 euros ($21,385). The ID.3 is available now from just under 36,000 euros ($38,500).
Wayne Griffiths, CEO of Cupra, said in a statement: “UrbanRebel is more than just a Cupra-only car. “This is a model that will democratize electric mobility in the city.”
Along with UrbanRebel, Cupra also introduced two upcoming models. One is the Tavascan small electric crossover and the other is the Terramar compact plug-in hybrid crossover.
Since the Cupra doesn’t operate in the US, don’t expect any vehicles to be offered locally.
