Seat’s Cupra performance brand will preview its first full-electric car with a concept to be unveiled at the Frankfurt auto show in September.
Cupra’s teaser image of the concept shows a coupe-like SUV with five doors.
In a news release Cupra said the concept will highlight how the brand will combine high-performance with advanced powertrain technology.
The production version is likely to use Volkswagen Group’s MEB electric architecture, which will underpin EVs for the VW, Audi, Seat and Skoda brands.
The vehicle’s coupe-like form is similar to the shape of the VW ID Crozz electric crossover concept. The Crozz was unveiled at the 2017 Shangahai auto show and will go on sale in 2020.
Seat CEO Luca De Meo told Automotive News Europe last year that Seat would use the Cupra brand as a launch pad for its electrification plans.
“Cupra is the brand that Seat will use for its first phase of electrification, because electrified powertrains will initially be more expensive than traditional internal combustion engines.” We need a brand that can sustain a higher transaction price, De Meo said.
At the time, De Meo said Cupra would start by launching plug-in hybrid models, before moving on to full-electric vehicles.
In February, Seat unveiled the Formentor, a Cupra-only plug-in hybrid concept.
Seat has said it will launch six electrified cars by 2021. These include two full-electric cars and four plug-in hybrids.
At this year’s Geneva show, Seat previewed the el-Born concept, a version of the compact electric VW ID3. VW is planning to unveil the production version of the ID3 at the Frankfurt show.
