The future of the Cupra Born electric hatch in Australia is yet to be locked in after plans for a high-performance version were pushed back – and the current model has sold out.
The first Volkswagen Group electric car sold in Australia without a luxury badge – the Cupra Born hatchback – has hit the pause button now stock of the current model has dried up.
Cupra has not announced when the Born will return – assuming it does come back – amid a wave of new petrol, hybrid and electric models from the Volkswagen-owned brand due this year.
Prices were slashed on run-out stock of the standard Born earlier this year, offering discounts of up to $19,400 – an offer that appears to have sold out quicker than expected.
Plans to launch a high-performance Born VZ 'hot hatch' in April or May 2025 were pushed back earlier this year to December, and are now a chance to be bumped back again.
It comes as new rivals – mostly from China – push the price of entry into small electric cars down to new lows, some in the low-$30,000 realm, compared to the Born's $59,990 plus on-road costs RRP.
"The Cupra Born has recently performed very well in Australia and stock is now sold out," a Cupra Australia spokesperson said in a media statement, after the Born was removed from the brand's website on Friday.
"Planning for the next evolution of the Born – including the performance VZ – continues.
"Australia is a strategic market for the brand’s global expansion and the brand is focused on its largest product offensive to date in Australia.
"This includes particularly sharp pricing for the performance Cupra Tavascan medium SUV, a key battery electric vehicle (BEV) focus in 2025, joined shortly by the Cupra Terramar medium SUV."
Asked directly if a date has been set for the Born's return – in standard or VZ guises – the spokesperson said: "We are actively seeking opportunities for the Born and will provide an update in due course."
The Cupra Born launched in Australia in early 2023 as the first VW Group vehicle sold locally on its 'MEB' electric vehicle platform, and the first without a Porsche or Audi badge.
It beat its MEB siblings from Volkswagen and Skoda to market by 18 months, after Cupra global CEO Wayne Griffiths fast-tracked the usual internal approval process at VW Group head office in Europe to get the car into showrooms as quickly as possible.
It launched at the right time to capitalise on the boom in electric-car demand in 2023, recording 887 sales that year, but deliveries slumped to 465 in 2024.
Sales have perked up in 2025 – 301 so far this year, up 33.8 per cent on the same period in 2024 – helped by the special offer, which markets the car for $14,900 to $19,400 less than usual.
At launch, the Born was the only electric car on sale with more than 500km of claimed driving range in European WLTP testing, for less than $60,000 before on-road costs.
Today, MG is offering its MG 4 Long Range 77 hatch – with a 530km WLTP range – for $49,990 drive-away until the end of the month.
The special offer lowered the Cupra Born's drive-away price from between $61,990 to $66,490 drive-away, depending on the state of registration, to $47,090 drive-away nationwide.
Most examples in stock at the time of the offer were fitted with option packages, bringing prices to $49,690 drive-away with the Performance Package, $49,990 with the Interior Package, or $52,690 with both, all before premium paint charges.
The Born's original RRP of $59,990 plus on-road costs would have made pricing the VZ performance variant harder, and pushed it closer to the $70,000 mark.
VZ upgrades include a 40 per cent increase in power (from 170kW/310Nm to 240kW/545Nm), revised suspension and steering, a larger battery pack for a longer driving range, tweaked styling, and a larger touchscreen.
Alex Misoyannis has been writing about cars since 2017, when he started his own website, Redline. He contributed for Drive in 2018, before joining CarAdvice in 2019, becoming a regular contributing journalist within the news team in 2020. Cars have played a central role throughout Alex’s life, from flicking through car magazines at a young age, to growing up around performance vehicles in a car-loving family. Highly Commended - Young Writer of the Year 2024 (Under 30) Rising Star Journalist, 2024 Winner Scoop of The Year - 2024 Winner
