Cupra won't be drawn into electric vehicle price war with cheaper rivals

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Cupra is resisting the 'rush to the bottom' on electric vehicle discounting and insists the Cupra Born electric hatchback has a point of difference in the burgeoning electric vehicle market.

The Cupra Born was introduced to the Australian market in May 2023, and was the first electric vehicle to boast a starting price of less than $60,000 before on-road costs, and a claimed driving range beyond the 500km mark.

However, the past 12 months have seen several manufacturers launch more affordable electric vehicles with competitive driving ranges.

The popular Tesla Model 3 and Model Y siblings are now cheaper than the Cupra Born's unchanged $59,990 plus on-road costs price point, while the MG 4 Long Range 77 is discounted to as little as $47,303 drive-away until November 2024.

MORE 2025 Cupra Born VZ electric hot hatch unveiled with more power, coming to Australia

But Cupra won't be following the discounting trend with the Born electric hatchback, Jeff Shafer, head of product and marketing for Cupra Australia, told Drive.

"[Discounting] is something we definitely keep our eyes on. We don’t take the Australian market for granted," said Mr Shafer.

"It’s very competitive as we’ve talked about, so we’ll continue to have a look at that. I think that the Born offers something different in the market when it comes to EV [electric vehicles]."

A more potent Born VZ is due to arrive in Australia next year with a 40 per cent bump in power, retuned steering and suspension, in addition to a longer 570km driving range, and new interior technology – all addressing criticisms of the original Born.

"Next year we are looking forward to introducing the Born VZ, which will take that a bit further, in fact, in terms of the performance and defining [the Born] in that way," said Shafer.

"As we go forward, we’ll keep assessing where the market’s at and what we want to be with our product.

"But I think that what we are offering is a little bit different to some of the other manufacturers and we won’t necessarily just be rushing to the bottom, let’s say."

Shafer said the Born VZ will slot in above the normal Cupra Born, offering more performance and an upgraded interior.

"There are some special Cup Bucket seats, so there [will be] a lot of other [new] equipment … in that car. So of course it’ll sit above where Born is today [on price], but we’re still in the process of looking at exactly where that’s going to come in," he told Drive.

"[But] we’re not talking six-figure sums like some manufacturers with their performance EVs."

The closest competitors to the Cupra Born VZ are the $80,900 Tesla Model 3 Performance and the $111,000 Hyundai Ioniq 5 N.

Hyundai has struggled to move examples of the Ioniq 5 N in its first year on sale, despite widespread acclaim.

The Cupra Born range is soon expected to undergo a facelift globally, while the Born VZ is bound for local introduction in 2025.

The post Cupra won't be drawn into electric vehicle price war with cheaper rivals appeared first on Drive.