Short-lived Born’s successor was star of trip to Spain.

INTENT to rejoin the electric hot hatch sector it sparked up with the now defunct Born seems probable for Cupra NZ, with the replacement, Raval, potentially being lined up.

The Volkswagen subordinate brand, represented in New Zealand by a division of the Giltrap Group, which holds rights to all Wolfsburg’s makes, has just taken salespeople to Spain, with one of those attendees relating how driving the compact five-door hatch was a priority.

The involvers’ test regime involved putting it against the current genre flag waver here, the 170kW/340Nm MINI Cooper JCW that sells for $72,990, and Europe’s new favourite, the Renault 5 E-Tech that would be great to see on Kiwi soil but seems unlikely.

Marketed as an ‘urban rebel’, Cupra Raval comes in various levels of heat, the most searing delivering 166kW.

That’s 4kW down on the Born, which also had more torque than its replacement, with 310Nm versus 290Nm.

With having a tough less fire in its belly, Raval is nonetheless a quicker car up to 100kmh than the Born, and most overseas’ commentators say it has better driving vibes.

The most appealing cachet could be is that should sneak under the $74,900 sticker that Born carried, because it has not only been designed to be more cost effective but also comes out with four powertrain choices.

When released internationally earlier this year as the first of the VW Group's new entry-level EVs on the MEB-plus platform, Raval was show with four electric motor outputs (85kW, 99kW, 155kW and 166kW), two battery capacities (37kWh and 52kWh), and maximum driving range of up to 450km on the WLTP cycle.

While three launch editions kicked off sale in Europe – Dynamic, Dynamic Plus and VZ Extreme – the long term plan is to settle into four model lines: Raval, Raval Plus, Endurance and VZ.

Measuring 4046mm long, 1784mm wide and 1518mm tall with a 2600mm wheelbase, the Raval takes up relatively little road space but is nonetheless designed to carry four adults in comfort and also offer a massive 441L of boot space.

Despite also being tailored as an entry-level product for the brand, Raval offers a host of premium features and technologies from more expensive models, such as matrix LED headlights, ambient lighting that projects dynamic animations into the door panels, a 12-speaker Sennheiser premium sound system, an electronic limited-slip diff, and adaptive suspension.

The full outlay reserves for the flagship, but LED lighting, heated and power-adjustable front bucket seats, a reversing camera with front and rear parking sensors, and a six-speaker sound system are standard.

The infotainment touchscreen – measuring 12.9-inches – has the latest Android-powered operating software, while the 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster offers, Cupra says, “a level of detail well above standard car displays.”

Personalisation options include the matte paint finish seen here alongside four standard paint options, as well as alloy wheels measuring 17- to 19 inches in diameter.

Raval’s trim can be in recycled fabrics, Dinamica suede, vegan leather, and 3D-knitted upholsteries. A range of different seat designs are offered depending on variant.

The Raval is designed, developed and produced in Cupra's home of Barcelona, Spain.

The same production line also delivers the car’s equivalent in the VW family, the new ID.Polo.

Born was a brave push for NZ and that it lasted just 18 months here seems cruel. The model having ultimately falling victim to the sudden loss of consumer interest in electrics that occurred as soon as rebates were pulled at end of 2023 seemed an unfair outcome.