The electric Cupra Born’s reintroduction to Australia has been delayed once again by the Spanish brand’s local division, around a year after it was initially scheduled to return.
Following the reveal of the facelifted 2027 model in Europe earlier this month, a spokesperson for Cupra Australia said the local arm is “assessing the feasibility and timing” of the Born, which appears to walk back previously communicated plans to launch the pre-facelift Born VZ hot hatch this month.
“At this stage, we are assessing the feasibility and timing of offering the newly announced Born for our market. As soon as decisions are confirmed, we will share updates,” the spokesperson told CarExpert.
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CarExpert understands Cupra Australia has been holding off on relaunching the Born, waiting for the facelifted model to do a full reboot of the EV hatch Down Under, led by the VZ halo with lower variants to potentially return after a two-year hiatus.
Last offered in a single variant in Australia, the Cupra Born is currently offered with two battery options and two drive motor options in Europe, with the longest-range version boasting over 550km between charges according to WLTP testing.
The last Born to be sold Down Under had the pre-update 77kWh lithium-ion battery and most powerful 170kW/310Nm rear e-motor at the time, though the range has subsequently moved to a larger 79kWh battery while the VZ bumps outputs to 240kW and 545Nm for a 5.6-second sprint from 0-100km/h.
In Europe there’ll be three motor-battery configurations for the updated lineup, all of which include an electric motor driving the rear wheels, and the option of one-pedal driving. The larger 79kWh unit in the facelifted Born Endurance and VZ variants now quotes around 600km of WLTP range.
The facelifted Cupra Born aims to address many of the complaints levelled against the interior of the original Born, as well as the closely related Volkswagen ID.3.
Physical steering wheel buttons, window switches for all four windows, more premium cabin materials and a new, larger 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster headline the upgrades beyond design changes, all focusing on interior quality, ambience and user friendliness.
Matrix LED headlights are also newly available for the updated range in Europe.
The VZ has a new launch control setup, as well as paddles to control the amount of regenerative braking and a “new interior sound signature that adds emotional depth to the driving environment”.
Read more about the updated 2027 Cupra Born here.
