• Following the world debut of the CUPRA DarkRebel showcar at the IAA Mobility in Munich, Wayne Griffiths and Jorge Diez explore how their latest obsession became a reality
• The sharp front look, along with the brand’s triangular light signature, join its central spine and its enigmatic body colour as the sports car’s boldest design features 
• For the first time, the CUPRA DarkRebel has been co-created with the CUPRA Tribe through their online configurations

“When you joined CUPRA I asked you to shock me” Wayne Griffiths recalls with Jorge Diez. “You have, indeed!” he adds. After the CUPRA presentation at the IAA Mobility in Munich, the brand’s CEO and the Design Director can’t take their eyes off one of their greatest obsessions - the CUPRA DarkRebel showcar. Together, they share the journey into the physical world of the first car fully created in the virtual space; from the darkness into the light, embracing what has never been seen before.

By the Tribe, for the Tribe. “I always say that people make the brand, and we have proved this more than ever with this model” says Griffiths. The CUPRA DarkRebel showcar has been created in collaboration with the CUPRA Tribe, with more than 270,000 virtual configurations that helped shape its physical version. In keeping with the brand’s unconventional style, “it was a very different process to any usual approach, as for the first time ever the design of this car was the product of dialogue with the community, which makes it even stronger” explains Diez. He adds: “The whole team worked to achieve the maximum expression of our CUPRA DNA, concentrating it in the model to push the boundaries of design and performance.”

Provocative design. The result is a showcar that boosts emotions: “The car has a lot of movement, tension is all around it, and making it a reality has been a major challenge” says Diez. But the team successfully pulled it off, with its sharp front look and its use of light, featuring the brand’s iconic triangular light signature. “And how good is this enigmatic mercury-like body colour?” Griffiths observes. “It’s sensual; with a dark violet tone and a highly reflective effect, it evolves depending on the surrounding environment, like a chameleon” replies Diez. “And what about the back of the car? You know it’s what people are going to see the most as this car will always be in front of them” jokes the CUPRA CEO. “With its wider shoulders and parametrically designed super diffuser, it’s definitely a strong, powerful view” adds Diez.

Video game inspired interior. “It’s amazing here too” says Griffiths, sitting inside, where every element is geared towards the driver. “At CUPRA we love to drive, and this car fully embraces you, incorporating gamification to enhance the experience” answers the Design Director. The two-seater has a central spine made of 3D printed aluminium, and the seats operate in a different way – “they’re fixed in place and it’s the steering wheel column that can be adjusted forwards and backwards” reveals Diez. A novelty that adds to the driving experiences of Exponential Square, Exponential Cube and Exponential Infinity, which offers the possibility of entering Metahype, the brand’s space in the metaverse, while the vehicle is charging, “to live a unique experience inside the car” Diez points out. Because “this is CUPRA, always shocking, always provocative” Griffiths concludes.

CUPRA HQ Communications

Rocío Soria
Content Generation
M/ +34 689 28 14 32
rocio.soria@seat.es

Gemma Solà
Content Manager & SM Communications
M/ + 34 639 944 087
gemma.sola@seat.es