Cupra Urban Rebel Concept, representing a subcompact EV from Spain.

Posted on June 08, 2022
Concept cars
Cupra Urban Rebel Concept, representing a subcompact EV from Spain.

In May, the Volkswagen Group announced a major investment in its Spanish operations to prepare for the production of a family of subcompact electric vehicles scheduled for around 2025. And as part of that announcement, the company announced that it would be launching one vehicle for each of the Volkswagen, Skoda, and SEAT brands.

On Tuesday we got a preview of an additional subcompact EV to be produced in Spain. This time it is for VW Group's Cupra brand, in the form of the UrbanRebel concept. The concept was first shown as a race car in 2021, but the version shown Tuesday is much closer to the production model planned for the mid-teens.

Each member of the new subcompact EV family will be a crossover based on VW Group's MEB small platform. This is an entry-level version of the MEB, the EV-specific platform that underpins VW's ID.3 compact hatch and ID.4 small crossover, and in stretched form is also used in VW's upcoming ID.Buzz minivan. MEB is also used in the Audi Q4 E-Tron The MEB is also installed in the Audi Q4 E-Tron.

The Urban Rebel is only 158.6 inches long and is powered by a single electric motor on the front axle. This motor produces a peak of 223 hp and can accelerate the UrbanRebel from a standstill to 62 mph in 6.9 seconds. The largest battery the car will be equipped with is 57 kilowatt-hours and is claimed to have a range of over 200 miles.

The VW Group had previously set a goal of offering EVs in Europe starting at about 20,000 euros ($21,385); the ID.3 is currently priced at just under 36,000 euros ($38,500).

"The UrbanRebel is more than just a car for Cupra," Cupra CEO Wayne Griffiths said in a statement. 'It is a model for democratizing urban electric mobility.'

Along with the UrbanRebel, Cupra also previewed two upcoming vehicles: the Tavascan, a compact electric crossover, and the Terramar, a compact plug-in hybrid crossover.

Neither vehicle will be offered locally, as Cupra does not operate in the US.

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