- The Cupra Raval will be the first of VW Group’s new subcompact EVs
- Subcompact EVs will use VW Group’s MEB Small platform
- Cupra plans to launch in the US later this decade
Several Volkswagen Group brands are working on a new generation of subcompact electric vehicles, and a prototype of one has been spotted.
The prototype is for Cupra’s Raval hatchback, VW Group’s Spanish performance brand what you plan enter the USA at the end of this decade.
Similar hatchback models from the Volkswagen and Skoda brands are also in development. The VW was presented in 2023 by the ID.2all conceptand is set to generate a crossed brother.
The Raval was also presented a few years ago by the UrbanRebel conceptand judging by the prototype in our latest spy photos, it will keep most of the concept’s lines intact on the road to production.
Cupra UrbanRebel Concept
The UrbanRebel concept measured 158 inches long, or about six inches longer than a Mini Cooper, and the Raval appears to be just as small.
The new EV will ride on a low-cost version of VW Group’s MEB platform for conventional EVs such as VW’s ID family, as well as some EVs from other VW Group brands, including the Audi Q4 E-Tron. The low-cost version, called MEB Small, should only come with a single engine on the front axle.
In the Raval, the electric motor is expected to deliver a peak of 222 hp, or enough to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in less than seven seconds. Range is expected to be around 270 miles on the WLTP test cycle used overseas. A lower value would result using the more stringent EPA cycle.
Cupra UrbanRebel Concept
The Raval will go on sale in 2025 in the markets where Cupra is currently present. The VW ID.2 is also expected to go on sale next year, and its crossover sibling in 2026.
The Raval is unlikely to be included in the Cupra lineup when the brand launches in the US. Cupra only has confirmed two vehicles for the US market. One of them will be an electric version of the Formentor, the current generation of which is based on the outgoing Tiguan. The second will be a larger electric SUV to be built in North America.
Cupra began as a performance sub-brand of VW Group’s Spanish brand SEAT, but in 2018 it was repositioned as an independent brand offering a range of sporty and emotional vehicles with a striking design.