Cupra Enters Extreme E Championship In Collaboration With ABT

Cupra announced it’s entering the new Extreme E racing series, making them the first carmaker to officially participate in the new electric off-road championship.

Cupra has paired up with ABT Sportsline for its new racing endeavor, with brand ambassador (as well as Rally Cross and DTM champion) Mattias Ekström to become the team’s male driver. Under Extreme E’s gender-equal format, teams have to field one male and one female driver.

The carmaker’s electric SUV racer made its public debut during the launch of the Cupra Garage in Hamburg, Germany, the brand’s first dedicated dealership in Europe.

Read Also: Lewis Hamilton Announces His Own Race Team For The Inaugural Extreme E Season

“The Extreme E represents Cupra challenger attitude in the racing world and its ambition to explore new motorsport experiences,” said SEAT Executive Vice-president for R&D Werner Tietz. “For this reason, the decision to become the first automotive manufacturer to participate in the competition and reinforce our cooperation with ABT is proof of both partners’ shared vision of reinventing the world of high-performance cars through electrification.”

The collaboration between Cupra and ABT Sportsline goes back to 2018 when the two companies came together to offer upgraded versions of the Leon Cupra and Cupra Ateca models. ABT is also one of the founding teams in the Formula E championship.

“With Cupra, we now have a partner at our side who, like us, firmly believes in the revolutionary concept of Extreme E, both in terms of sport and in terms of off-track marketing”, said ABT managing partner Hans-Jürgen Abt.

The first season of the Extreme E championship is set to launch in early 2021, staged across five environments (Arctic, Desert, Rainforest, Glacier, and Ocean locations). All teams will race in mechanically identical ‘Odyssey 21’ electric SUV racers, with each team allowed to change the bodywork. The electric race car produces 550 HP and is capable of a 0-62 mph (100 km/h) in 4.5 seconds.