An enhanced edition of Cupra’s electric hot hatch has been confirmed for NZ provision.

EXTRA oomph is coming to a sporty Euro electric that has made a sizzling start in New Zealand.

A solid Kiwi fanbase has already built up for the Cupra Born since release in September on strength of it being the sportiest and most driver-centric of VW Group’s MEB platform cars.

This following is expected to grow when the new VZ edition lands late this year.

Set to become an adjunct to the current type, the VZ will have a more powerful electric motor than the current model, delivering “significant power and torque increases”, according to Cupra NZ managing director James Yates.

“We are very much interested in that vehicle … it is attractive to us,” said Yates on hearing that Cupra headquarters has just released more information about the vehicle.

VZ Cupra was hinted at last year by the maker, which is 100 percent owned by VW Group. NZ appears to be an early export involver. 

In present state, the car sells here with 150kW, boosting up to 170kW for 30 seconds in Cupra mode, and 310Nm torque and a 0-100kmh time of 7.0 seconds.

VZ is expected to have around 20-30kW more power and around 200Nm more torque, also feeding off a 77kWh battery.

It will remain in a rear-drive configuration, so is is unlikely to meet the challenge of the most potent small electric in its category, the 324kW/600Nm dual motor MG4 XPower.

It seems set to also be overshadowed on pure output by the GTX edition of the Volkswagen ID.3, the MEB car from which the Cupra directly derives. Again, though, the GTX is dual motor. VW is citing around 224kW for that one.

Cupra’s international boss, Wayne Cherry, isn’t too fazed - in a recent interview he argued fast cars need to change. He doesn’t see the worth in chasing horsepower figures with an EV.

“Performance in an electric era is changing,” he told British media. 

“In the past, it was horsepower and it was five-cylinder and it was Akrapovic exhaust and different suspension. But in an electric world, perhaps we’re moving away from performance and more to emotions.”

‘How do you get emotions into electric cars? Not by going another second faster. I mean electric cars can do 0–100kmh in two seconds if you want them to. All of them could. Would that be good? No – you’d be sick. At some point you’ll get sick with this.”

Born was already demonstrating that dynamic prowess, rather than outright power, is the key to making a good hot hatch. That’s the factor that makes the car in current state so popular with enthusiast drivers.

Intent with new VZ is to deliver with suspension tuning and brake enhancements that will make it even more appealing as a driver’s car. It will also have 20-inch forged alloy wheels and Cup bucket seats as standard.

That’s also appealing to Cupra NZ, whose message about Born being particularly fun to drive on secondary New Zealand roads has resonated.

That allure appears to be working, with 69 cars sold since the first shipment landed in September, to join two demonstrators that came in April for media and promotional use.

Local availability chimes with the demise of the Clean Count Discount, which Born was priced to take advantage of - to point where some specification elements had to be trimmed to get it under the $80,000 threshold.

Expectation that the immediate post-rebate scene will be quiet for all electrics is widespread within the industry.

Says Yates: “Interest was reasonable under Clean Car and we were reasonably happy. How it goes now? ‘Who knows’ is the answer.

“It’s probably take two or three months for things to equalise and for people to resume buying electric cars again.”

There’s no intent to revisit the current pricing, of $74,900.

The car in present state is specifically a debut edition. As such, it has a four-seater layout - the rear bench having been sculpted into two distinct chairs.

In time NZ will start taking the car with a different back seat, shaped for three. The type might also have a few other specification changes.

However, this is not a facelift. Though Born production dates back to 2021, Cupra intends 2025 to be the year when a mid-life revision impacts. That brings the styling language into step with the recently revealed Cupra Raval supermini and Cupra Tavascan sports utility electrics. 

Both are confirmed for NZ, with the latter coming here out of China. Two versions of Tavascan seem set to be offered, the flagship also badged VZ. It will have a maximum power output of 253kW, which will make it the most powerful Cupra model yet.

Cupra will also be launching its first seven-seat model, the Terramar SUV. This model won't be fully-electric, but will focus on petrol, mild-hybrid and plug-in hybrid variants and will have the 'PHEV2' technology with 100km-plus electric only range and 50kW DC fast charging.