CUPRA reinforces its racing commitment by extending its Formula E partnership with KIRO and showcases the Leon VZ e‑Hybrid Racer at Goodwood Festival of Speed

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Friday, 10 Jul 2026 12:00 0 24 autotech

CUPRA reinforces its racing commitment by extending its Formula E partnership with KIRO and showcases the Leon VZ e‑Hybrid Racer at Goodwood Festival of Speed

July 10, 2026 by CUPRA
• From Barcelona to Goodwood, CUPRA unleashes electrifying performance across all four days of the 2026 Goodwood Festival of Speed, on both stage and track.
• CUPRA reinforces its racing commitment, confirming the extension of its Formula E partnership with KIRO as it enters the new Gen4 era.
• From road to racetrack, the CUPRA Leon VZ e-Hybrid Racer is ready to redefine performance, pushing electrification to its limits.
• The CUPRA Raval now available in right-hand drive, bringing bold design and urban attitude to a new generation of drivers in the UK.

Goodwood House, 09-07-2026 From Barcelona to Goodwood, CUPRA unleashes a bold new era of electrified performance at the 2026 Festival of Speed, led by its commitment to Formula E, reinforced by the extension of its partnership with KIRO as the brand charges into the new generations of cars, the Gen4, the debut of the new CUPRA Leon VZ e-Hybrid Racer, and the 100% electric Raval available in right-hand drive. Celebrated for transferring technology from motorsport to production cars, and vice versa, CUPRA believes that the racetrack is the world’s best test lab.
CUPRA reinforces its racing commitment by extending its Formula E partnership with KIRO and showcases the Leon VZ e‑Hybrid Racer at Goodwood Festival of Speed
CUPRA KIRO strengthens its commitment to Formula E
Racing runs through CUPRA’s DNA, and after two successful seasons together, the brand is proud to announce a further extension of its Spanish-American partnership with Silverstone-based KIRO Race Co. The agreement will see CUPRA KIRO continue competing together in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship. Building on a successful partnership established over the previous two seasons, the team is set to enter the new Gen4 era of Formula E with the equally new Porsche 975 RSE. Driven by a shared ambition to challenge the status quo and redefine electric racing, Gen4 represents the beginning of a new chapter in CUPRA’s motorsport journey.

By extending its partnership with KIRO, CUPRA further reinforces its commitment to electrification, performance and the future of sustainable mobility.
At the Goodwood Festival of Speed 2026, CUPRA KIRO will unveil its new Gen4 Formula E car in a striking ‘Energy Flow’ livery created exclusively for the event. Representing the next chapter in the team’s challenger spirit, it combines pioneering technology with daring design as Formula E embarks on a new era.

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From street to racetrack: the CUPRA Leon VZ e-Hybrid Racer unleashed
The second pillar of CUPRA’s Festival of Speed debut is the CUPRA Leon VZ e-Hybrid Racer. Wearing a matching ‘Energy Flow’ livery, it invites those drawn to the intensity of Formula E to discover an equally compelling vision of the future of touring car racing. While some concept cars remain pure vision, others signal what’s next. This is one of them.

Fusing the electric motor from the new CUPRA Raval, the combustion engine from the Leon VZ and proven battery technology from the Leon PHEV, the Leon VZ e-Hybrid Racer serves as CUPRA’s testbench for a new, more accessible motorsport architecture. Providing the best of both worlds: combining the sustainability and push-to-pass strategy of the ETCR racing car with the affordability and proven technologies of traditional touring car racing; it demonstrates how electrified performance can be delivered without compromise.

Beyond the intense wheel-to-wheel action and sprint race format, the Leon VZ e-Hybrid Racer stands out for its strategic depth, where every decision counts. Managing tyres, power and energy become a high-stakes game, turning each race into a relentless battle of precision, performance and control.

Delivering up to 370kW (500PS), the uncompromising e-Hybrid racing prototype accelerates from 0 to 100km/h in just 3.8 seconds and reaches a top speed of 265km/h. Paddle-shifting through a six-speed sequential gearbox, drivers can unleash the combined output of the 2.0-litre combustion engine (250kW) and rear electric motor (120kW), creating a racing experience that bridges the gap between today’s technologies and tomorrow’s competition. From the streets to the racetrack, CUPRA proves that electrified performance is no trade-off, it is a new standard, driven without compromise.

CUPRA Raval: the gamechanger lands in the UK
New for summer 2026, the right-hand drive CUPRA Raval is the electric gamechanger set to disrupt the UK market segment. Made for a new generation of drivers, it goes beyond mobility, delivering attitude, design and driving emotion. With a range of up to 450km and prices starting from £23,785, this bold urban electric car is already turning heads with its radical, character-driven design and engaging, driver-focused performance. The Raval is not a city car trying to be sporty, or a performance car trying to be practical, it is both, because electric doesn’t have to be boring.

Delivering all the agility of a hatchback, with generous interior and boot space, it is equally well suited to city life and longer road trips. Designed, developed and produced in Barcelona, the compact four-metre-long Raval takes its name from one of the city’s most dynamic and iconic neighbourhoods. Part of the Volkswagen Group’s Electric Urban Car family, it is built on the new MEB+ platform.

All CUPRA Raval models deliver CUPRA’s unmistakable driving DNA, combining a sport chassis lowered by 15 mm with fine-tuned suspension, progressive steering for enhanced agility and ESC Sport, ensuring a precise, dynamic and engaging driving experience. Celebrated for its distinctive driving dynamics, the entry-level model is priced to help democratise electric mobility. The 166kW (226HP) Raval VZ elevates this further with 19-inch Rebel copper alloy wheels, Electric with memory bucket seats in vegan leather, Matrix LED headlights, DCC Sport suspension and an electronic slip differential. Prices for the Raval VZ start from £33,495. Available in a wide variety of options, colors and trims, the Raval also features Smart light and door projections powered with the latest Android OS.

The Goodwood Festival of Speed runs from Thursday 9th to Sunday 12th July 2026 at the historic Goodwood House estate in West Sussex. From the disruptive new CUPRA Raval and the pioneering Leon VZ e-Hybrid Racer to the next-generation CUPRA KIRO Formula E challenger, the brand’s line-up reflects a clear ambition: to redefine performance for the electric era without sacrificing emotion, excitement or driving pleasure.

Adding to the action, current CUPRA KIRO Formula E drivers Pepe Martí and Dan Ticktum will take on the legendary Goodwood Hillclimb, showcasing the CUPRA UrbanRebel and the CUPRA Formentor ABT edition on one of motorsport’s most iconic stages. Lancey Foux will also make a special appearance behind the wheel of the CUPRA Raval VZ Extreme, taking on the famous hill climb and showcasing the brand’s bold vision for the future of electric performance.

A highlight of CUPRA’s presence at the festival was the participation of The Duke of Richmond and Gordon, founder of the Festival of Speed, who joined the official vehicle reveals at the CUPRA stand.

Change needs drivers — and CUPRA believes real progress comes through radical disruption, by defying expectations and challenging conventions. Since its launch in 2018, the brand has transformed the automotive industry as an instigator of creativity and an agitator for change.

In just eight years, CUPRA has launched eight models and sold over 1 million vehicles globally. Every CUPRA model is restlessly expressive, design led, and performance driven. Its fully-fledged portfolio includes the CUPRA Leon, redesigned and enhanced as a standalone CUPRA model; the CUPRA Formentor, the first car to be developed exclusively by the brand and the company’s best-selling vehicle to date; the CUPRA Born, the brand’s first 100% electric vehicle; the CUPRA Tavascan, an all-electric SUV coupe; the CUPRA Terramar, the brand’s sporty SUV; and the CUPRA Raval, the brand’s radical interpretation of the electric urban car.

CUPRA is more than a car. It’s a conviction. The CUPRA Tribe is made up of a team of ambassadors who push back against convention and past the boundaries that hold others back, with members including Spain’s most decorated Olympian, Saúl Craviotto; film director J.A. Bayona; German goalkeeper Marc ter Stegen; and two-time Ballon d’Or and Best FIFA Award-winning footballer Alexia Putellas. Obsessive about elevating emotion on and off the road, CUPRA is also FC Barcelona’s official automotive and mobility partner, the Premier Padel Tour’s premium sponsor and is also proud to participate in the Formula E racing competition with Kiro Race Co.

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About Goodwood Festival of Speed presented by Mastercard
First staged in 1993, Goodwood Festival of Speed presented by Mastercard is the world’s largest automotive garden party; set against the spectacular backdrop of Goodwood House in West Sussex, UK. Over 600 cars and motorcycles spanning the phenomenal history of motoring and motorsport take part along with legendary figures from the automotive world. Highlights include Future Lab presented by Randox, Forest Rally Stage presented by Subaru, Supercar Paddock, F1 Pit Lane, Drivers’ Club, GAS Arena and Cartier Style et Luxe Concours d’Elegance.