The CUPRA UrbanRebel concept will be the closest thing to an electric SEAT Ibiza, and it loses the giant spoiler along the way

At the last Munich Motor Show,  CUPRA  unveiled the  UrbanRebel Concept  , an  electric car  with the beastly appearance of being able to drive on Pikes Peak. This concept foreshadowed the future CUPRA small model, scheduled for 2025. Today we were able to take a closer look at the new version of the  CUPRA UrbanRebel Concept  , a version that is 80% the production version of the future electric car of the brand.

The UrbanRebel is more than a future electric car to complete the range, it is the promise for SEAT SA to  develop and design the group's future small electric cars  on the group's MEB Entry Level platform. Thus, not only will SEAT create this CUPRA, but its base will serve, in principle, for a  Skoda  and a Volkswagen version.

Moreover, if the PERTE aid is finally granted to SEAT (and everything indicates that it will be), the Martorell factory will be in charge of the manufacture of the models for the three brands, the batteries coming from the  new factory of the group in Sagunto .

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Up to 226 hp for the small electric CUPRA

From a technical point of view, the first autonomy and power data provided by the brand are rather objectives that have been set for CUPRA than non-approved services as such. Thus, they hope to achieve a  range in the WLTP cycle of up to 434 km  with a  166 kW (226 hp) engine  in its most powerful variant.

What seems unchanging are the dimensions of the car, and if they change by 2024, it will be very small variations. The UrbanRebel is a compact car, it  measures 4036 mm  , that is to say it is only 7 mm longer than an Audi A1 and 3 cm shorter than a SEAT Ibiza. And yet, it looks like an imposing car, as solid as it is massive, at least on the surface.

This is partly explained by its generous width of 1.97m (including mirrors) and a  height of 1,576mm  , which is 39mm less than a SEAT Ateca. But this is also explained by the design imagined by the team led by Jorge Díez.

The boxy waistline is very tall and the flanks are heavily sculpted, with tension lines that both convey dynamism - the car appears to be in tension - and visually hide the height of the bodywork. With more slanted lines drawing the eye from side to side of the body, it doesn't have the feel of such an imposing body panel.

As for the original concept car, this one is closer to the production version. She lost the huge spoiler, but gained two rear doors. Elements such as the headlights and all the play with the triangles, reminiscent of the CUPRA logo, are retained. These can be found in the headlights, daytime running lights and rear lights, but also in the form of air intakes or mirrors.

Indoor play inspiration

On board, the design is more of a concept car than a production car, even if the dashboard and steering wheel should be in the production version. The dashboard is organized around the driver. It looks like a cockpit, the central screen is oriented towards the driver and the central tunnel, very high, separates him from the rest of the passengers.

One of the most striking elements of the concept car, for me, is the strip at the base of the windshield, like an XXL format head-up display, which partially surrounds the front passengers and is capable of projecting all kinds of information. The design of the steering wheel caught my attention much more.

When many follow the idea of ​​putting aviation horns instead of a steering wheel, at CUPRA they opted for a steering wheel, normal and round, but with a central part that recalls the controls of a console, in the middle -way between classic PlayStation controller and X-BOX.

One of the reasons for designing a multifunction steering wheel with this look is that CUPRA has the lowest average customer age in the entire Volkswagen Group.

A clientele in an age group who grew up with game consoles and, for the youngest, who are part of the e-sport and gaming generations in general. In the end, you can be original by listening to your customers and not by resorting to a trick as old as the concept cars of the 1950s and the General Motors Motorama.

The CUPRA UrbanRebel is more than just a model of the future

The CUPRA UrbanRebel is more than just a preview of an interesting future electric utility vehicle in terms of performance and design. It is the promise that the Martorell plant and the SEAT technical center, which have already contributed to the development and design of models for other brands of the group, such as Skoda or Audi, still have a future within the Volkswagen group.

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It is also the promise of more affordable models in the CUPRA range, since the UrbanRebel will be located in the range below the Born.

The CUPRA UrbanRebel, despite being the youngest and smallest model in the range, will be, when it hits the market in 2024 or 2025, the model that will take CUPRA into adulthood. .

It will be the model, with the Tavascan, who will have to consolidate the brand and demonstrate that she can compose something more than a summer song that everyone likes  and that she is able to compose a great song after a great song.