Griffiths wants battery assembly near Martorell

BarcelonaThe president of Seat, Wayne Griffiths, believes that the electric car project is not only Seat's but "the whole country's", and that for the battery production plant, in addition to partners, "regional support" is needed because it is not a project for a specific regional but for the whole of Spain.

In an interview with El Periódico Griffiths claims the location of the battery production factory has not been decided yet. He also differentiates between a battery cell production factory and a battery assembly factory. According to him, what the Catalan brand needs to have near the Martorell (Baix Llobregat) car factory is the battery assembly factory.

"This factory will generate work and we want to have it nearby," he says, while insisting that in order to build an electric car in Martorell and for it to be competitive the company must have the entire value chain and for the most basic versions to cost between €20,000 and €25,000.

The battery cell factory that the government, Iberdrola and Volkswagen want to locate in Spain with European funds has been at the centre of controversy in recent weeks. Minister Maroto said it would be "near Martorell" and it was assumed that this meant in Catalonia. However, this week the leader of CCOO Union in Catalonia, Javier Pacheco, said he believed it would end up in Aragon.

Waiting for the Cupra Born

Griffiths, who believes that Spain needs a better aid plan for the electric car, has stated that in four weeks they will present Cupra Born, Seat's second brand first 100% electric car. The president of Seat also recalls that the company, which tests all workers for covid-19, offered to vaccinate the population near Martorell but is still "waiting for a response from the Generalitat".