Surely you have heard a lot about the topic of the metaverse, these open virtual spaces that were born from the world of video games and that they say, will be the future of social networks. It is not that this idea is something new at all, but today, thanks to personalization, connectivity, virtualization and data tools, they could take on a very high relevance for the younger generations.
The people of Cupra are clear about it and it is for the same reason that in the framework of the Exponential Impulse, held at the Berlin-Tempelhof airport, the brand introduced us to the spectacular DarkRebel, but from the brand’s own Metahype platform.
What is Metahype?
Metahype is the metaverse of Cupra. A digital space created by the brand so that its fans and customers can interact and meet, share immersive digital experiences and participate in everything that has to do with the Cupra world.
This space is made up of different districts and common areas that may be owned by brands, startups and creators. At the time of the inauguration, Metahype is distributed in three areas: Metahype square, the Cupra and Primavera Sound districts, who were in charge of the music during the Exponential Impulse event.
Users arrive first at Metahype Plaza, where they receive their Metahype Passport, a dynamic NFT that represents each Hyper (as the “citizens” of this world are called). Cupra has developed a system inspired by the world of videogames, which rewards users with Hypes for their engagement and activity within the platform.
Among the highlights that can be found in Metahype figure Cupra Next, a space where the audience can influence the future of Cupra by configuring their own version of the DarkRebel. This exercise will be key because the brand seeks to demonstrate that design is a dialogue, a provocation, or at least something that generates an emotional reaction, rather than being a procedural or trend-predictive exercise.
“Metahype has officially arrived. It is a space not only for Cupra, but also for brands, startups and creators to connect with the next generation. It provides a unique brand experience and engagement, with the aim of connecting different communities to unleash their creativity and collaborative power.”
–Sven Schuwirth, CEO of Cupra.
So imagine: you create your avatar, go dancing to Primavera Sound and then pick up your personalized DarkRebel to compete virtually with other users. All very “Ready Player One”.
Let’s go back to the Dark Rebel
And it is that the DarkRebel is an important statement of performance and design. Up to now Cupra has proposed new models in the tenor of the Formentor, Terramar and Tavascan. We can ignore specific products like the Born or the Leon, but things point towards SUVs. However, the DarkRebel is a shooting brake, a format that continues to be disruptive and that fits with the rebellious spirit of the brand.
For the same, It features a long, tapered chest, plus a short cockpit. There is a lot of the Tavascan in this modelbut taken to the absolute extreme, including the folds of the doors, rear fenders and of course, the concept of “backbone”, perceptible from the top of the model.
The same can be said for the triangular-effect lights and illuminated badge, as well as the two-tone copper-effect wheels. Anyway, Since it is a digital car, you can customize it with light effects and colors on the tires and the sheet metal.
Inside, it’s all about the driver, like a race car, with sculpted seats that are an integral part of the cabin. and not separate pieces. You will of course be able to see your Metahype avatar in the center of the cluster, like a holographic projection.
The steering wheel has controls inspired by a PlayStation controller (at least the brand showed images of the DualSense Controller as an influence). Where the joysticks would go, there are the power buttons and the drive mode selector, something that is repeated from the production models.
The board has pieces that look like networks or structures in 3D. In reality, it’s like a “Martian skeleton” in piano black that separates the driver’s area from the passenger’s area, achieving a very different look from the futuristic clichés we’re used to seeing in other cars.
What Cupra wants as a brand, is to return the emotion to the cars, that everything that you perceive excites; that can also awaken other senses and if the DarkRebel already makes you curious and eager to see it in the real world, Cupra is proving his point.
