SEAT Premieres First Fully Electric Racing Touring Car in the World

After announcing a 100-percent electric touring vehicle early this month in Barcelona, Sociedad Española de Automóviles de Turismo (SEAT) debuts its electric race car at the 2018 Geneva International Motor Show. As part of Cupra--SEAT’s separate brand for its sports cars--the new electric car will have its own booth right beside SEAT's at the event, which lasts from March 8 to March 18.

The Cupra electric racer is the first touring car that qualifies to compete in the new E-TCR, an off-shoot of the gas-powered TCR racing circuit. The objective is to achieve the best fine tuning possible that will allow E-TCR to become its own championship circuit in 2019.

The Cupra e-Racer is a motorsport car in every sense, delivering up to 680 hp at its peak. That's 330 hp more than its gas-fueled TCR counterpart. The electric version is a lot heavier though, weighing 400 kilos more. This is mainly due to the bulkier rear axle electric engine. The Cupra sports car can accelerate from 0 to 100 kph in 3.2 seconds and reach a top speed of 270 kph.

The makers of the Cupra e-Racer want their car to exceed the gas version in terms of performance to demonstrate the brand's racing technology at all levels. Throughout the year, Cupra plans to include their E-TCR car in select race events that feature purely electric touring cars.

"We are committed to the E TCR because we are convinced that the future of competition is in electric engines," said Dr. Matthias Rabe, SEAT vice-president for R&D. "Just as the SEAT Leon Cup Racer laid the technical foundations of the TCR championship, once again we are blazing trails in this new experience." Dr. Rabe adds that he wants to invite "the rest of the car manufacturers to join us in this amazing adventure."

The Cupra e-Racer will be the highlight of the Cupra booth at the 2018 Geneva Motor Show. Since 2014, SEAT has been the main reference point in the TCR International Series for two main reasons: its Leon Cup Racer and its being the manufacturer of all Volkswagen Group models that participate in the TCR (Audi RS3 LMS and Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR) at both regional and international levels.