Wayne Griffiths suddenly leaves the management of Seat

BarcelonaWayne Griffiths (Dukinfield, United Kingdom, 1966) has decided to step down as CEO of Seat and Cupra at his own request, according to company sources confirmed to ARA. In a statement, the company indicated that Griffiths is leaving Seat and Cupra "to pursue new challenges." Wayne Griffiths He took over the reins of Catalonia's main industrial company In 2020, at a very complicated time due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and following the departure of Luca de Meo. The executive, who is also president of Cupra, leaves the position at a time when the automotive sector is in the spotlight. due to the trade war opened by Donald Trump.

The decision was announced this Monday and is effective immediately, as confirmed by the Martorell-based company. Seat's Vice President of Production and Logistics, Markus Haupt, is taking over as interim director of the company until a successor to Griffiths is appointed "soon."

Volkswagen Group CEO and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Seat, Thomas Schäfer, highlighted the work Griffiths has done in developing the Cupra brand and restructuring the company. "His understanding of the brand is impressive. He is, in the best sense, a true car lover. We thank him for his excellent contributions and wish him the best for the future." On March 13 at Griffiths, during the presentation of the company's results, he was asked about his continued leadership of Seat. He then stated that the company was his life's work.

Griffiths will go down in the history of Seat, which this year celebrates 75 years since its creation, as the man who brought Seat's results to their historical highs, with two key goals: the creation and promotion of the Cupra brand, which has been key to returning to profit; and the electrification of the company, at a time of transformation in the sector, with a historic investment by Seat and its parent company Volkswagen of 10 billion euros. "Seat put the country on wheels, and now we want to put it on electric wheels," is the phrase the British executive has repeated in recent years.

In fact, the president of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa, has highlighted Griffiths' commitment to electromobility, in a post on the X network. "If today Catalonia and Spain are advancing in the field of sustainable mobility, it is also thanks to people like Wayne Griffiths, who has promoted major projects on the Island in recent years.

During his tenure, the first 100% electric model was launched, the Cupra Born, which is not manufactured in Martorell. In addition, the company has begun rolling out plug-in hybrids for some of its models and has launched another pure electric model, the Tavascan, which has ended up becoming a headache because it is manufactured in China and is subject to EU tariffs on Chinese cars, at 20%. In fact, Griffiths has explained for a few months now that if the tariffs on this model are not removed, the future of Cupra—and even the company itself—will be at risk.

Another milestone in electrification is the adaptation that is being done at the Martorell plant, where a battery assembly plant and the assembly line is being transformed. The result of this transformation, with a total investment of around 3 billion euros, is being able to manufacture electric cars for the first time in a Seat plant. In fact, the first electric cars manufactured in Martorell are expected to be on the market next year: the Cupra Raval and the Volkswagen ID.2.

Griffiths' commitment to electrification has been clear. "There is no plan B," he reiterated several times. In fact, Griffiths was president of the Spanish manufacturers' association, Anfac, but He eventually resigned amid criticism of the Spanish government for its lukewarm commitment to electric cars.The executive has always supported tax breaks for buyers to promote electric cars, and expressed this at a recent summit held at the Seat House in Barcelona, attended by the Minister of Industry, Jordi Hereu, and the presidents of Catalonia, Salvador Illa, and Navarre, María Victoria Chvite, among others.

Employee support

The president of the Seat works council, Matías Carnero (UGT), who is a member of the Volkswagen supervisory committee, thanked Wayne Griffiths for his work at the helm of Seat in recent years and expressed his conviction that the company will maintain its commitment to electrification and guarantee its future. Speaking to Efe, Carnero emphasized that Griffiths has given his all to Seat in recent years and wished him the best in his current professional career.

"The company must continue on the path of electrification and guarantee the committed investments," said Carnero, who expressed his conviction that "it cannot be any other way."