Looking at a new company car online and checking one out in a showroom have, up until now, been two very separate experiences – neither of which are ideal. Sitting at home in front of your computer screen will allow you to spec a vehicle. You might be able to give it a 360-degree spin if the manufacturer’s website features all the bells and whistles, but you won’t really get much of a feel for your potential new car; and you’ll have to go digging through the rest of the website to find answers to any specific questions you may have. Visiting a showroom, on the other hand, will get you up close and personal to the vehicle, but you have to physically get to the dealership in the first place.
In a best-of-both worlds approach, CUPRA is combining the website and showroom experiences into one single process. In the market for a new company car, for example the Born all-electric vehicle? Then visit the new CUPRA Virtual Showroom and you’ll be able to get a live tour of the car online – through your computer or phone – with a product expert showing you around the vehicle’s exterior and interior, taking you through its numerous features and answering all the questions you can think of. No waiting around, no wasted time: click the link, set up an appointment and a CUPRA agent will send you a message, connect you to an audio and video session, and you’re ready to go.
You can direct the agent through the car as you wish, and sessions can be as brief or as detailed as you need, lasting from just a few minutes to an hour. It’s totally up to you. And the experience itself is impressive. Being able to guide the agent around the car, essentially via a video call, allows you to see what you want to see of the vehicle in clear, close-up detail, as well as witnessing the interior tech being put to use in real time. In the modern hybrid working landscape, where Zoom calls are now the norm, the CUPRA Virtual Showroom has successfully plugged itself into the zeitgeist.
“It’s pretty innovative,” says Martin Gray, CUPRA’s UK contract hire and leasing manager. “We’ve had great reactions from customers so far. It really works for the Born, as the car is so different from others in its class. Because of the way it looks, and because of its technology and the way the dashboard is set up, people really want to get a good look at it. And in a climate where supply of actual physical vehicles has become a real issue, this gives more people the opportunity to see the Born up close and personal.”
While the Virtual Showroom is static, you can go on to book a test drive through the CUPRA website, and a car will be brought to your door. This 100% all-electric vehicle, launched earlier this year, is defying the stereotype of conventional company cars with its sporty, forward-looking design; state-of-the-art technology, and a dynamic driving experience. (Consider, for instance, acceleration that’s so crisp, the Born will hit 30mph from a standstill in under three seconds.)
The lingering question with any EV – its range – is answered emphatically: when equipped with the 77kWh battery, the Born can take you up to 340 miles (WLTP range). You can charge the car from 0-100% in under seven hours at home using AC (alternating current), while DC (direct current) public charging points will charge it from 5% to 80% in just 35 minutes. With charging points now available in more than 20,000 locations across the UK, and websites such as Zap Map that can help you find compatible charging points, planning a hassle-free journey has never been easier.
Technology even increases your range while you’re on the move. The Born has a regenerative braking system, which creates electric energy and sends it back into the battery every time you lift off the accelerator or use the brake pedal.
Setting your climate control through the My CUPRA App – while your car is charging – helps you save energy that would otherwise be used on your journey. The app can be used to set charging times at home before every trip, as well as scheduling night-time charging, which is especially useful if you have a specialised EV tariff on your home contract.
Within the car’s spacious and airy interior, Sequal, a recycled textile material made partially from plastic collected from the sea, is used in the seats, while Dinamica recycled microfibres are used on the seats, armrests, and door panels.
The Born comes with a three-year, 60,000-mile warranty, while its battery is warranted against all defects for eight years, or up to 100,000 miles, whichever comes first. Maintenance is equally reassuring: servicing is at 20,000 miles or two years after purchase, whichever comes first.
An array of on-board safety features, including adaptive cruise control with speed limiter; forward collision warning with automatic braking; lane assist and road sign recognition, are standard, contributing towards a five-star Euro NCAP safety rating. And should you get into trouble or experience a breakdown while on the road, at the touch of a button CUPRA’s CONNECT technology will call the emergency services or send location data to a dedicated roadside assistance call centre. The same technology also provides online map updates that give you real-time navigation data, allowing you to adjust your journey and find charging points en-route.
The Born has been highly rated by the UK motoring press for its looks and performance – and for its value for money, as it offers a lot for considerably less than many of its rivals. Add in a benefit-in-kind (BiK) company car tax rate of just 2%, and the Born makes even more sense for business drivers.
“The CUPRA Born pushes the envelope, but it’s still mindful of what a company car needs to do,” says Gray. “This is a car that’s both practical and desirable, and will appeal to customers who just want something a bit different.”
Want to see how your next company car could change the way you do business? Start with a visit to the CUPRA Born Virtual Showroom here