CUPRA: from ROC and URBAN REBEL to the FIGITAL future experience, this is what it’s all about – News

fLet’s take a step back and get back to it ROC (Race of Champions) 2023, where throughout the weekend we followed the competition that saw the greatest drivers of all disciplines competing in exciting races on parallel tracks and directly eliminating to choose the “Champion of Champions” and the most deserving nation. This year, the Swedish Rallycross, Touring Car and DTM driver won Matthias Ekströmafter the final fight against the Formula 1 driver Mick Schumacher, and Norway won the cup of nations with Solberg (father and son) as a couple. To know more about the race and the riders who participated in it, read our dedicated article.

dvisiting this selection in Pite Havsbad, Sweden, the real opportunity was to see The Cupra Urban Rebel concept took part in its first competition. It is a car that anticipates the types of production car (it will always be electric, on the Mini MEB, with more than 400 kilometers of autonomy for around 30,000 Euros) that will be presented in 2025 (here is our video to see it for sure) and is instantly recognizable for its compact body shape of just 4 meters tall and its strong, bold and rebellious style.

Technically it is a real nugget, because in just 1200KG it will be able to connect a battery of more than 30kWh, two motors to create a four-wheel drive of 435 horses and 3.2 seconds to resolve 0-100; perfect for this tournament.

THEn race is wonderful excitingbecause in motion it is not inert and sterile as one would think of an electric car. It makes noise, you can hear inverters, motors running at high revs and studded tires scraping the ice. It almost sounds like the loud intake or compression noise of normal racing engines.. then it’s fast. It has proven to be more efficient in terms of placement and overall balance, gaining a lot of traction and gathering praise from all riders on its driving pleasure.

csurfing in the pits, then, I examined closely how it is made: the frame is clear on the tubular, the passenger compartment cannot be distinguished (in terms of equipment) from any other racing formula and the steering wheel includes a choice of direction of travel. (obviously only one). The battery is always placed on the bottom, as in production cars, ed The payment method is attractive. It happens in a fast way, with “easy” portable arrays. In fact, once the back of the body has been removed and raised, the integrated ccs joint can be seen .. a very short break between one lap and the other and the game is done.

molto bello also detail of pushrod suspension and see the carbon fiber shell. That’s why it’s faster and lighter, with a lower center of gravity than conventional ‘meeting cars’. A legitimate exercise to make this sustainable car competitive for different sports events.

StThe car that participated in the Extreme E of the was also present in the Race of Champions Abt Cupra XE Team, a great opportunity to confirm the entry of a Swedish junior driver on a permanent basis Clara Andersson, was launched in the Extreme E circuit at the end of the second season, in the Team paired with it Nasser Al Attiyah. Get all the information here.

FORbleaving the circuit of the race I had the pleasure of to face Antonino Labate; I was amazed by his vision and his certainty about the future. It is clear that the attraction will be electric, it can be peaceful the soul of gasoline heads, but I understood that this is an insignificant piece of what the future of the car holds for us. With some resistance I freed myself from the idea of ​​freedom of movement in 360 degrees that I associate with the current simplicity and efficiency of the petrol (or diesel) engine, as it will change (and it has already changed for new generations – including future and current customers) travel style.

The car will no longer make long journeys, not because of internal inefficiency (there will be electric cars with a driving range of more than 800 km and charging in 15 minutes) but due to different uses of people. People who are always and everywhere looking to get out of the car something unique, namely experience, but in its most emotional part, opening the palimpsest of sensations in a more “transversal” way. This will be the real key to the transformation and success of the car manufacturer, the only thing that will make the difference with the people who revive the spirit of the house.

mwhat does this mean? In the conversation we talked about, among other things, a a strong commitment on the part of Cupra to revolutionize the common points we all live by when we talk about the car. In addition to driving pleasure, something that will remain important to the Cupra and the Urban Rebel Concept is a clear manifestation of this, attention to augmented reality or even the virtual one will grow a lot. So far it “seems to be going on” with many tests and trials oculus and audience for augmented reality while driving, and Cupra is the first brand of the group to work on this project.

For example, consider a level 4 self-driving car – so you can always choose between automatic or manual driving – in which augmented reality is implemented, first with glasses but one day or another even without tools of this kind: the presence of the dashboard directly becomes worse , buttons, screens … Everything can be replaced with the standard version, simplifying production, simplifying the cars, making the cockpit more customizable and actually eliminating many of the parts we focus on today when we talk about “build quality” – especially internal assemblies. plastic for bridge, dashboard and so on.

A world of possibilities would open up, also removing the distance between people sharing the driving experience as well as providing new ways to tackle journeys and challenges. It is better to start putting the antenna on the topic, which is more current than expected, while we wait with the same curiosity for the next Cupra cars, including Tavascan and Terramar, the last one, unfortunately, is still available with a variety of engines. “classical”.

Coming back to figital, it is something that futurism lovers might like or that might make those who live on bread, bolts and petrol turn up their noses, but which would make the Cupra in the future where many customer needs have changed and the main features that the car must have to be attractive. Not to mention the concept of virtual reality, metaverse and so on. The interview with Antonino, found in the second part of the opening video, is in any case very tasty, the excerpt follows.

FORntonino, the amazing debut of the UrbanRebel Concept in the official competition, a clear and effective display of his “rebel” self… which, however, is not only about him but about your whole strategy, right?

Yes indeed, today is a great day for Cupra as the UrbanRebel officially debuts on the race circuit, driven by the greatest champions from all sectors of racing here at the Race of Champions. But as we always say, this is just the beginning of our quest to set a new “state of experience”…

Well, if this is the beginning, the legitimate question is: what can we expect tomorrow? What will it all turn into?

You know, the UrbanRebel will be the first vehicle that will allow you to experience what we call the “Figital Experience”: combining the digital and physical worlds. Soon you will have the opportunity to try it too: run UrbanRebel in a completely diaphanous space, wear oculus and compete in a digital and physical world that will have the appearance of Barcelona, ​​​​​​​​Berlin and more, not to mention the various modes of air in each thigh and so on. You will connect with other vehicles in other areas, making the same experience. In short, you will be happy and it is a small project that we have worked on – and are working on – in great detail, from a broad perspective…

I’d say maybe there’s an interesting key to this argument…

[Risatina] 😉

Let’s talk about the range: are expansions and updates coming soon?

Yes, our last creatures are on the way. After the undeniable success of the Formentor and our first electric born, the next one we will see at the end of the year is the Tavascan – a generous-sized SUV coupé and the second electric model, with performance fully in line with our brand. The Terramar will follow immediately after, an electric car built on a common platform by Audi, again with big surprises, big changes to the exterior and interior… you will have a lot to enjoy.

Then we will see the new Formentor – and it was not easy to reinvent one of our icons, but we will surprise you – with the revised Leon, both five-door and Sport Tourer… And finally, what we do. define it as a new brand manifesto: UrbanRebel that you will see in 2025 on the streets.

I would say that there are all the premises of something rebellious in the automotive program, something is changing and this impulse is very visible here … a word that you often use directly in your claims.

I will tell you, inspiration is the result of attitude, spirit and thought. Cupra, as a brand made entirely and exclusively by people, “incites” this change which… I recognize a lot in the word “rebellious”, but even more I would like to define it as “courage”: Cupra has courage. to carry forward, skillfully, the vision of his brand that transforms itself from scratch to unicorn, and tells its stories.