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Volkswagen Group's first Australian EV hatch says adios for now

Volkswagen Group's first Australian EV hatch says adios for now

Perth Now5 hours ago

The Cupra Born is no longer on the company's Australian website, and Volkswagen Australia has confirmed the electric hatch is no longer on sale in Australia now that local stocks of the car have run dry.
That said, the Born may not be away for too long. In March this year, Cupra said it was pushing back the launch the Born VZ hot hatch from May to December 2025.
A Cupra spokesperson told CarExpert, 'Planning for the next evolution of the Born – including the performance VZ — continues'.
Hundreds of new car deals are available through CarExpert right now. Get the experts on your side and score a great deal. Browse now. Supplied Credit: CarExpert
With the Born gone from the local range, Cupra's only pure electric offering right now is the Tavascan SUV.
The Born made its global debut in 2021, and was launched in Australia at the end of 2022. While the Born is available in Europe with a variety of motor and battery options, local models all come equipped with a 77kWh battery and a 170kW motor driving rear wheels.
A 240kW/545Nm motor drives the rear wheels in the Born VZ currently sold in Europe.
Under the skin, the Born uses the Volkswagen Group's MEB all-electric architecture, which underpins all of the automaker's EVs apart from a few models from Audi and Porsche.
The Born's closest relation is the Volkswagen ID.3. Both cars share drivetrains, overall silhouette, much of their underlying structure, and doors. Supplied Credit: CarExpert
From its launch in December 2022 to the end of May 2025, 1654 Borns have been sold in Australia. The Born's best performance was in 2023, its first full year on sale, when 887 found new homes.
For this calendar year until the end of May, the Born (301) is Cupra's second-best selling model behind the Formentor SUV (686).
In the broader EV context, the Born is well behind the market leaders: Tesla Model Y (6974), Model 3 (2583), and Kia EV5 (2212).
But if we look at just electric hatchbacks, its performance isn't too bad. It's behind the MG 4 (2017), BYD Dolphin (776), and Hyundai Ioniq 5 (364), but ahead of the Kia EV6 (228), GWM Ora (271), Renault Megane E-Tech (138), and Nissan Leaf (62).
We know this list includes an eclectic range of models across a variety of sizes and price points, some of which are marketed as SUVs, but pinning down price points can a little tricky as EV pricing tends to move around quite a bit.
Priced at $59,990 before on-road costs since its local launch, the Born had been available for the last few months for $47,090 drive-away.
MORE: Everything Cupra Born

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