We’re still two years out from being able to buy the production version of Cupra’s 2022 UrbanRebel concept, but we do at least know what it will be called. The edgy-looking pint-sized EV that was unveiled in June last year will be badged Cupra Raval when its starts rolling out of the Martortell factory in Spain in 2025.
“The Raval is one of the most surprising parts of Barcelona, and today, we are proud that the brand’s future urban electric car will have its name and represent its spirit,” explained Seat and Cupra CEO Wayne Griffiths at Automobile Barcelona where the announcement was made.
We’ve yet to see the finished production Raval but it’s likely to look very similar to the most recent UrbanRebel Concept. So much so that Cupra was happy to send out the exact same pictures for this story that it did for last year’s UrbanRebel reveal, but with a different name displayed on the license plate. The original 2021 UrbanRebel was a slightly crazy track-ready, electric hot hatch with big wings, but that was toned down for the second iteration of the concept unveiled last year.
Related: Cupra Confirms Potential Launch To North America, Says It’s Looking “Very Promising”
The €25k ($27k) production Raval will be built in Spain alongside small cars from VW and Skoda that use the same MEB electric platform and single-motor drivetrain delivering up to 223 hp (226 PS / 166 kW) to the front wheels. Cupra said the show car could hit 62 mph (100 kmh) in 6.9 seconds, but even if Cupra positions its offering further upmarket from its Skoda and VW siblings, its likely that less powerful motors will also be available. Though both cars will feature the same battery pack Cupra quoted a 273-mile (440 km) range for the Raval, while VW claimed an additional 6 miles (10 km) for its junior EV.
That VW alter ego, by the way, is the ID.2 we got a look at in concept form back in March. Both cars ride on a 102.4-inch (2,600 mm) wheelbase, but unlike the ID.3 and Cupra Born, which rely on different noses and tails to differentiate their designs, the baby cars look completely different. VW has channeled Giorgetto Giugiaro’s classic Mk1 Golf for the design of the ID.2, whereas the Raval bears more than a passing resemblance to Toyota’s Aygo X.
Cupra’s parent brand Seat also used the Automobile Barcelona platform to announce some unusually good financial news. The company recorded a profit of €144 million ($158 m) in the first quarter of 2023, which was up €139 million ($152 m) on the same period last year.
Unfortunately for the Seat brand though, that success is largely down to the growth of the Cupra marque. VW Group has struggled to make a success of Seat and earlier this week we heard that it was considering turning the firm into an urban mobility brand that might stop making cars and focus instead on scooters and quadricyles.