Seat wants to manufacture 300,000 electric cars per year at the Martorell plant

MartorellThe goal is set. After four years of transformation, next year The first electric cars manufactured at the Seat plant in Martorell will be released to the market.The company aims to reach a production capacity of 600,000 cars per year at this plant, half of which (300,000) will be electric. The first electric model to roll off the assembly line at this factory will be the Cupra Raval, which will go on sale starting in March of next year, followed by the Volkswagen ID. Polo. The final step in electrifying the plant was taken this Friday with the inauguration of the battery assembly plant, in which the company has invested €300 million. This investment is part of the factory's electrification plan. It has cost 3 billion euros, as part of the 10 billion euro package from Seat and the Volkswagen group in Spain. to manufacture electric cars. Seat has also led the Volkswagen Group in the electrification of its smaller and more popular models, which, in addition to the Cupra Raval and the Volkswagen ID. Polo, also includes the Skoda Epiq and the Volkswagen ID. Cross, which will be manufactured at the German group's plant in Landaben (Navarra).

The battery assembly plant will create approximately 400 direct jobs and another 100 indirect jobs.

The inauguration of the battery assembly plant was attended by the President of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa; the Minister of Industry, Jordi Hereu; the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Seat and Cupra and CEO of the Volkswagen brand, Thomas Schäfer; the CEO of Seat and Cupra, Markus Haupt; and the entire executive committee of the Martorell-based company. The battery assembly plant occupies an area of 64,000 square meters and can manufacture one battery every 45 seconds, that is, 1,200 per day or 300,000 per year. The plant has 11,000 photovoltaic panels that will cover 70% of the energy needed, and the batteries will be transported from the plant to the car assembly workshop via an automated system that includes a 600-meter-long bridge.

According to the company, with the transformation of the Martorell factory over the last four years, this plant has become the Volkswagen Group's third largest production plant in Europe and will contribute a quarter of all cars manufactured in Spain, with a maximum capacity of 600,000 units per year, of which 30,000 will be electric. The historical record for car production in Martorell was in 2000, with 516,000 units, and in 2019, the year before the pandemic, production again surpassed half a million with 505,000 units. Minister Jordi Hereu highlighted the importance of the new plant for expanding electromobility in Spain and Europe. "It is another step towards achieving strategic autonomy for Europe," he said. For his part, the president of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa, reiterated his government's commitment to electric vehicles and its goal of reaching 180,000 new electric vehicle registrations by 2030. Illa considered the new plant "crucial for the country," describing it as a "national project."

Turning point

"The opening of this battery system assembly workshop is a turning point in the history of Seat and Cupra," said Markus Haupt, adding: "Today we see our ambition become a reality; we are ready to produce 100% electric cars." Made in Spain which will make electric mobility accessible throughout Europe."

Chairman of the Board of Management, Thomas Schäfer, stated: "Four years ago, we made a historic investment to transform Spain into a key location and a European benchmark for electromobility. Today, with the opening of this battery system assembly plant in Martorell, we are beginning a new chapter for the Volkswagen Group."

The first 100% electric car to roll off the assembly line in Martorell, the Cupra Raval, will be unveiled in March 2026. This front-wheel-drive electric car, four meters long, will be available in three different trims: VZ Extreme, Dynamic Plus, and Dynamic, with up to 166 kW of power from 0 to 26,000 euros.