Photo: Guido ten Brink/SB-Medien
SEAT is currently in the midsts of an identity-refining process that sees the Volkswagen Group working to strengthen the position of a Spanish brand by mixing dynamic and budget assets for the buyers. The Geneva Motor Show allows the S badge to highlight its go-fast attributes, with the company marking the public debut of its new CUPRA go-fast and racing sub-brand. To mark the occasion, the carmaker has brought the CUPRA e-Racer at the Swiss event.
The gas-powered CUPRA Leon TCR Cup Racer base of the newcomer has been thoroughly transformed, as we are now looking at an all-electric racecar. In fact, the carmaker describes this as the world's first 100 percent electric racing touring car, with the title probably being fitting.
The machine can deliver 300 kW (408 hp) of continuous power, while its peak output sits at a meaty 500 kW (670 hp). The power is sent to the rear wheels via a single-speed transmission, while torque vectoring is present.
As far as straight-line performance is concerned, the machine needs 3.2 seconds for the 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) sprint, while hitting 200 km/h (124 mph) takes 8.2 seconds.
When it comes to the maximum velocity, the racer can hit 270 km/h (make that 168 mph).
And while comparing this hatch racer to the Electric GT Tesla Model S P100D racecar might be a bit of a stretch, we have to mention that the latter hits 62 mph in 2.1 seconds thanks to its 778 hp. Nevertheless, lap times are more important in such a battle and this is where we don't have enough data for a proper comparo.
It's worth mentioning that the CUPRA e-Racer replaces the traditional rear-view mirrors with three cameras, with the resulting images being shown on the dashboard.
While the CUPRA e-Racer will be displayed at various events this year, we'll have to wait for 2019 to see the competitional debut of the thing, since an EV touring car series has yet to be introduced.
"Throughout 2018, specially chosen events will showcase the CUPRA e-Racer and a competition for purely electric touring cars is anticipated from 2019. The format, race duration and simply the way of experiencing these races for drivers, teams and fans will be completely different: much more active, incredibly dynamic, intense and exciting," the carmaker explains.
The birth of SEAT's new velocity division means the SEAT Sport activities are being transferred to CUPRA and since the first was responsible for producing all VW Group racecars for the TCR International Series, this transformation also involves the Audi RS3 LMS and Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR.
The machine can deliver 300 kW (408 hp) of continuous power, while its peak output sits at a meaty 500 kW (670 hp). The power is sent to the rear wheels via a single-speed transmission, while torque vectoring is present.
As far as straight-line performance is concerned, the machine needs 3.2 seconds for the 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) sprint, while hitting 200 km/h (124 mph) takes 8.2 seconds.
When it comes to the maximum velocity, the racer can hit 270 km/h (make that 168 mph).
And while comparing this hatch racer to the Electric GT Tesla Model S P100D racecar might be a bit of a stretch, we have to mention that the latter hits 62 mph in 2.1 seconds thanks to its 778 hp. Nevertheless, lap times are more important in such a battle and this is where we don't have enough data for a proper comparo.
It's worth mentioning that the CUPRA e-Racer replaces the traditional rear-view mirrors with three cameras, with the resulting images being shown on the dashboard.
While the CUPRA e-Racer will be displayed at various events this year, we'll have to wait for 2019 to see the competitional debut of the thing, since an EV touring car series has yet to be introduced.
"Throughout 2018, specially chosen events will showcase the CUPRA e-Racer and a competition for purely electric touring cars is anticipated from 2019. The format, race duration and simply the way of experiencing these races for drivers, teams and fans will be completely different: much more active, incredibly dynamic, intense and exciting," the carmaker explains.
The birth of SEAT's new velocity division means the SEAT Sport activities are being transferred to CUPRA and since the first was responsible for producing all VW Group racecars for the TCR International Series, this transformation also involves the Audi RS3 LMS and Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR.
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