Martorell already manufactures 100% electric cars

BarcelonaThis Wednesday, line 1 of workshop 10 at the Seat factory in Martorell has begun the series assembly of the Cupra Raval and the Volkswagen ID. Polo, the first 100% electric cars produced at the plant. The start of production materializes the great efforts the factory has made to electrify itself: 300 million euros have been invested at the Catalan plant to build a battery assembly factory and, furthermore, one of the three production lines has also been adapted for electric vehicles. In recent years, no 100% electric cars were manufactured in Catalonia, although until the Nissan plant in the Zona Franca of Barcelona closed, one was produced, the Nissan e-NV200 van.

"It is a pride to place Spain at the forefront of electric mobility," highlighted the President of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez, during the presentation of the new cars. Sánchez also wanted to emphasize how "key" the public-private collaboration has been to move forward with the plant's electrification. At an event organized at the Martorell plant itself, the Spanish president pointed out that they continue to work to turn "Spain and Catalonia into the hub for electromobility in southern Europe." "Seat is an iconic brand in Spain and a fundamental element of the country's identity," Sánchez stated in front of a hundred workers from workshop 11 of the factory, which is responsible for quality control.

A launch beyond expectations

A launch above expectations

For their part, the CEO of the Volkswagen group, Oliver Blume, has assured that the "birth" of the new models "is much more than a launch", and has assured that it "demonstrates" the European capacity to carry out important industrial projects. Along these lines, he has called for guaranteeing a "made in Europe" strategy and has assured that "million-dollar fines and market demands only slow down progress". Markus Haupt, CEO of Seat and Cupra, added that he assured that "they are two "made in Spain cars that will change everything".

As they have explained, it is planned that between 60,000 and 70,000 units of the Cupra Raval and the ID. Polo will be manufactured in Martorell this year, although they have specified that the quantities of each will be determined by demand. Regarding the Raval, Haupt assured that the launch "has exceeded their expectations". The brand explains that, since they put it on sale in April, its demand is "double" what they expected. Its arrival on the streets will be imminent.

Making electromobility accessible

The Martorell plant is a strategic factory for the Volkswagen Group. In fact, as explained during a guided tour for the media in workshop 10 – the hall where both cars have begun to be manufactured –, the Catalan factory is the group's third largest producer by volume in all of Europe. Specifically, last year 473,000 cars were manufactured in Martorell. Its electrification, therefore, is key to continuing to lead the future of the Volkswagen Group's brands. It should be noted that the factory has also been producing hybrid vehicles for some years, such as Cupra's flagship model, the Formentor. However, in the coming years, the Cupra Raval is expected to be able to compete with it.

The launch of the two vehicles produced in the country is part of Volkswagen's plan to introduce up to four "urban electric cars" to the market. Thus, to the ID. Polo and the Raval, the Volkswagen ID Cross and the Skoda Epiq must be added, which will be manufactured at the Seat plant in Landaben, Pamplona. These four launches, according to the group itself, would aim to "make electromobility accessible throughout the continent". The Cupra Raval is characterized by its sporty line with only 4 meters in length, while the Volkswagen ID. Polo is the electrified version of one of the automotive firm's most emblematic models.