2025 Cupra Born VZ revealed

A new performance focused small car has broken cover and there is a strong chance this feisty European could be on our roads soon.

Cupra’s Born electric hatchback is about to live up to its potential.

The little hatch, originally pitched as an electric hot hatch to rival popular machines such as the Volkswagen Golf GTI, now finally has the grunt to back up those claims.

Cupra has revealed the Born VZ, which uses an uprated electric motor to deliver 240kW and 545Nm to the rear wheels.

The Cupra Born Vis getting a massive performance update.

This is a jump of 70kW and 235Nm over the current Born. The Spanish brand says this drops the 0-100km/h time from seven seconds to 5.7 seconds.

Top speed has also been raised to 200km/h.

The Born VZ isn’t confirmed yet for Australia but the brand’s local outfit has put its hand up for the potent hatchback.

A Cupra Australia spokesman says: “Born is one of the key parts of our lineup and this next iteration of our exciting rear-wheel drive hot hatchback is something we are looking at very closely for Australia.”

The rear wheel drive hatch will be able to go from 0-100km/h in 5.7 seconds.

The Born VZ is expected to enter production towards the end of this year with a likely local launch date by half way through 2025.

The current Born is priced from about $62,500 drive-away, but expect the VZ to come with a sizeable premium.

The Born VZ doesn’t just have a big power increase. Cupra has also made changes across the board to improve the drive experience and standard equipment.

A bigger battery provides a driving range of about 570km, up from the current Born’s 511km range.

Cupra has also added adaptive suspension.

It can accept a charge rate of up to 170kW on a DC outlet, which means it can go from 10 to 80 per cent in 30 minutes.

New adaptive suspension will improve the ride in all conditions, with multiple driving modes to suit different conditions.

Cupra has tuned the steering to make it more responsive and engaging and improved brakes for extra bite.

Wider 20-inch tyres will add more rubber to the road to improve grip.

The cabin gets new equipment too.

Inside there are several improvements including sports bucket seats made from mostly recycled materials, a big 12.9-inch infotainment screen with climate and volume control shortcuts and paddle shifters to control the regenerative braking levels.

It is packed with safety equipment, too, and comes with items such as a bird’s eye view camera and multiple driver aids.