Volkswagen Group, SEAT S.A. and the Spanish Government share vision of Spain as future e-mobility hub

This morning, H.M. King Felipe VI and Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, visited the SEAT S.A. Martorell headquarters to commemorate the company's 70th anniversary.

Both were accompanied by SEAT Supervisory Board Chairman and Volkswagen Group CEO Dr. Herbert Diess, and SEAT S.A. President, Wayne Griffiths, as well as by the Minister of Industry, Reyes Maroto, and Stefan Piëch and Mark Porsche, members of the SEAT Board of Directors.

During the visit, the Volkswagen Group, SEAT S.A. and the Spanish Government underlined their common vision of the sustainable transformation of the automotive industry.

The Volkswagen Group and SEAT S.A. are willing to collaborate on transforming the industrial infrastructure for electric mobility and accelerate the economic recovery of the country.

To accelerate the development of an e-mobility ecosystem, a project was outlined that will be led by the Volkswagen Group and SEAT S.A. This project will collaborate with key organisations from the energy (Iberdrola), telecommunications (Telefónica), financial (CaixaBank), technology (Asti) and automotive (Gestamp or Antolín) sectors.

With the second largest automotive production industry in Europe, Spain has a large responsibility in reaching the targets of the European Green Deal by 2030. Crucial to that acceleration is the creation of the electric vehicle ecosystem, stimulating demand and developing public recharging infrastructure.

The future common vision includes local production of small electric vehicles in the Martorell factory, as well as the local production of battery cells and battery modules.

“Spain can evolve into an e-mobility centre of Europe. We share the Spanish Government's vision: the transformation of the automotive industry. The modernization of industrial structures and the creation of future-proof jobs can serve as a powerful blueprint for the whole region. We hope that the EU Commission has the political willingness to let this flagship project with historic importance for Spain become reality” said Herbert Diess, CEO of the Volkswagen Group and Chairman of the Board of Directors of SEAT S.A.

“70 years ago, we put this country on wheels. Our aim, now, is to put Spain on electric wheels. For this to be a reality, all parties agreed, that Spain needs to develop and ensure a wider recharging infrastructure throughout the territory and stimulate demand by incentives. Spain should jump on the electrification train” added Wayne Griffiths, President of SEAT S.A.

During the visit, H.M. the King and the Prime Minister visited the SEAT Design Centre, a hub in southern Europe where the company designs all new SEAT and CUPRA models. SEAT S.A. Vice-president for Research & Development, Dr. Werner Tietz, showed the powers a glimpse in to the future of both brands with several new models due to be launched in the coming years.