Podium finish for ABT CUPRA XE after a hard-fought Extreme E battle at the Copper X Prix in Chile

Podium finish for ABT CUPRA XE after a hard-fought Extreme E battle at the Copper X Prix in Chile

  • ABT CUPRA XE scores its best result of Extreme E Season 2 with a podium finish at the Copper X Prix in Chile
  • Team drivers Nasser Al-Attiyah and Klara Andersson – the World RX star stepping in to replace Jutta Kleinschmidt, who was forced to miss the event after suffering a heavy landing in Free Practice – set a fantastic pace over a tough course in the Atacama Desert
  • The CUPRA Tavascan XE proves fast and reliable as it races in one of the driest regions on Earth

ABT CUPRA XE scored its best result in Extreme E Season 2 by finishing third in the final of the Autofagasta Minerals Copper X Prix in Chile – despite having to replace one of its drivers during the early part of the event.

Jutta Kleinschmidt had set a great pace in Free Practice 2, recording a first sector time that remained unbeaten for much of the session, before a heavy landing saw the German driver stop and get out of her CUPRA Tavascan XE clutching her back. She was taken to hospital for precautionary checks and kept in overnight for observation, and whilst she remainded in good spirits it ruled her out for the remainder of the Copper X Prix.

In her place stepped in Extreme E reserve driver Klara Andersson, who had arrived in Chile fresh from her podium finish at the FIA World Rallycross Championship event in Portugal.

Thanks to a magnificent CUPRA welcome and outstanding teamwork, the 22-year-old Swedish driver was able to quickly acclimatise to the CUPRA Tavascan XE and was soon up to speed having established a good rapport with team-mate Nasser Al-Attiyah.

For the first time this year, CUPRA qualified straight through to the Final, with no need to participate in the Crazy Race.

Both Al-Attiyah and Andersson performed brilliantly to be classified third and score the first podium finish for ABT CUPRA XE in Extreme E Season 2.

Nasser Al-Attiyah said: “It was an amazing weekend to finish on the Extreme E podium in Chile. It wasn’t easy but we learned a lot, so I am sure that for the last race it will be easier for us and we will try to repeat this podium result.”

Klara Andersson said: “It was such an intense and exciting Copper X Prix final. Nasser made a great start and we came out of the switch zone in fourth. I struggled a little with the view out of the windscreen, but despite this I feel that the whole weekend has been so positive. I am just so happy for the whole CUPRA team to finish on the podium – it’s been amazing.”

In the same weekend, CUPRA clinched the FIA ETCR eTouring Car World Cup title for Manufacturers’ at the Sachsenring Circuit in Germany – while team pilot Adrien Tambay won the ETCR Drivers’ title (CUPRA clean sweep as it wins the 2022 FIA ETCR Manufacturers’ and Drivers’ titles (prezly.com)).

The final round of the Extreme E Season 2 is the Energy X Prix in Uruguay on 26-27 November.

CU22-15E-Extreme E Chili (3p).pdf 208 KB CU22-15E-Extreme E Chili.doc 128 KB
Dirk Steyvers PR & Content Manager SEAT & CUPRA, s.a. D'Ieteren Automotive n.v.
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CUPRA

CUPRA is an unconventional challenger brand from the SEAT Group, based on stimulating style and contemporary performance. Since its launch as an independent brand in 2018, sales have shot up and CUPRA closed 2019 with a growth of 72% over the previous year with nearly 25,000 units sold. In 2020, the CUPRA Leon and the CUPRA Formentor, the first model designed specifically for the brand, will hit the market. CUPRA is expanding its dealer network to reach nearly 520 specialized points of sales around the world by the end of 2020.

Coinciding with its second anniversary, CUPRA has inaugurated its new headquarters in Martorell (Barcelona), the CUPRA Garage, a 2,400 square meter building located next to SEAT's corporate headquarters. CUPRA also has a racing car workshop, the CUPRA Racing Factory, where it developed the first 100% electric touring racing car, the CUPRA e-Racer. Moreover, CUPRA has become the first automotive brand to participate in the electric SUV off-road competition Extreme E.

In addition to becoming F.C. Barcelona’s exclusive automotive and mobility partner and World Padel Tour’s premium sponsor, CUPRA has formed an elite team of ambassadors, including the German goalkeeper Marc ter Stegen, the Swedish pilot Mattias Ekström and five of the best padel players in the world, among others.

Group profile

In existence since 1805, and across family generations, D’Ieteren seeks growth and value creation by pursuing a strategy on the long term for its businesses and actively encouraging and supporting them to develop their position in their industry or in their geographies. The Group has currently the following activities:

  • D'Ieteren Automotive distributes Volkswagen, Audi, SEAT, Škoda, Bentley, Lamborghini, Bugatti, Porsche and Yamaha vehicles in Belgium. It has a market share of around 22% and 1.2 million vehicles on the road. Its business model is evolving towards improving the lives of citizens with fluid, accessible and sustainable mobility. Sales and adjusted operating result reached respectively EUR 3.6 billion and EUR 119.0 million in FY 2019.
  • Belron (54.85% of the voting rights) has a clear purpose: “making a difference by solving people’s problems with real care”. It is the worldwide leader in vehicle glass repair and replacement and operates in 39 countries, through wholly owned businesses and franchises, with market leading brands – including Carglass®, Safelite® and Autoglass®. In addition, Belron manages vehicle glass and other insurance claims on behalf of insurance customers. Sales and adjusted operating result reached respectively EUR 4.2 billion and EUR 400.5 million in FY 2019.
  • Moleskine (100% owned) is a premium and aspirational lifestyle brand which develops and sells iconic branded notebooks and writing, travel and reading accessories through a multichannel distribution strategy across 114 countries. Sales and adjusted operating result reached respectively EUR 163.9 million and EUR 18.6 million in FY 2019.
  • D’Ieteren Immo (100%) groups together the Belgian real estate interests of D’Ieteren Group. It owns and manages approximately 30 properties which generated EUR 19.7 million net rental income in FY 2019. It also pursues investment projects and carries out studies into possible site renovations. 

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