- The CUPRA Born makes its way around Australia prior to the start of sales in the country to confirm that it is suited to the characteristics of its roads and cities
- The CUPRA engineers drove the 100% electric model more than 22,000 kilometres and collected thousands of data for analysis
- Pre-sales of the CUPRA Born begin in December, and it will join the other CUPRA models already on sale in Australia - the CUPRA Formentor, CUPRA Ateca and CUPRA Leon
Pre-sales of the CUPRA Born will begin in Australia in December, although the 100% electric car has already started to travel on its endless roads. This is a country with very specific characteristics, both in terms of temperatures and infrastructure. To understand how this model will adapt to the new market, particular testing has been carried out. More than 22,000 kilometres were travelled, and thousands of data recorded on a journey to confirm that the CUPRA Born is ready to conquer Australia.
Steel giants. One of the most iconic Sydney landmarks is no doubt the Sydney Opera House, but so is the bridge that crosses the harbour. The Sydney Harbour Bridge is a massive, one-kilometre-long steel construction with a height of 134 metres. “This bridge was an excellent testing location in Australia. Because of its characteristics, this country has several very long bridges surrounded by large iron or steel structures as well as many long tunnels. We wanted to test that the driving assistants worked properly in these tunnels, and they did” says Chief Engineer Globalization at CUPRA Jairo Hernández.
From Sydney to Canberra on endless roads. Australia is the sixth largest country in the world. With an area of over 7.7 million km2 , it’s easy to find yourself on roads that cover very long distances. The engineering test team drove the CUPRA Born more than 22,000 kilometres on secondary roads, motorways and in cities during several tests over the course of the year. “The aim was to test the various charging devices in the country, as well as to ensure that the battery would not age prematurely due to the high Australian temperatures. We spent many hours at the wheel to collect enough data and everything went according to plan” Hernández explained.
Something new for everyone. On this first trip of the CUPRA Born through Australia’s major cities and on its long roads, the CUPRA engineers were also able to experience some of the peculiarities of driving there. “There are highways that have specific lanes for bicycles and it’s curious to come across animal crossing signs that we don’t normally see in Europe, such as those for kangaroos and koalas” says Jairo. But they weren’t the only ones surprised: “The model attracted a lot of attention and when we met other drivers at the charging stops, they asked us about the car, especially its design and its striking blue colour.”
All set. Using cameras placed in various areas of the car and a device that recorded all the information, thousands of pieces of data were collected. After analysing them, the CUPRA engineers were able to confirm that the car is all ready to conquer Australia. In December, the CUPRA Born will go on pre-sale in Australia, joining the other CUPRA models already being marketed there -the CUPRA Formentor, the CUPRA Ateca and the CUPRA Leon.
CUPRA HQ Communications
Elisabet Anglada
Head of Content Activation
M/ +34 689 282 093
elisabet.anglada@seat.es
Rocío Soria
Content Generation
M/ +34 689 28 14 32
rocio.soria@seat.es
Gemma Solà
TV and Media Activations
M/ +34 639 944 087
gemma.sola@seat.es
