Volkswagen refuses to guarantee electric car production in Spain

Volkswagen refuses to guarantee electric car production in Spain

The Volkswagen group has plans to manufacture an electric SUV at the Landaben plant in Navarra, as well as a compact electric at its Martorell plant in Barcelona, from 2025. It now seems that a final decision on both initiates will depend on conditions and government incentives.

After the meeting of the supervisory council this Thursday, December 9, the German consortium has confirmed that with the comprehensive electrification of its European plants it intends to generate additional synergies and take advantage of economies of scale.

As part of its ‘Planning Round 70’ electrification strategy by 2025, the Group’s headquarters and manufacturing center in Wolfsburg will be transformed, and the company’s competitiveness will be boosted through increased spending on technologies of the future.

An investment of €159,000 million is planned over the next few years, €89,000 million of which will be focused mainly on electromobility and digitisation. As Alfredo Morales, the president of the Volkswagen Navarra works council, said, this statement by the Volkswagen Group represents “very good news for Navarra as a whole”.

While its final decision rests on government incentives, Mr Morales assures that the Spanish government, “has done a good job”, in relation to the PERTE (strategic project for the recovery and economic transformation) of the electric car.

He also stressed that it “is a matter of time” before it materialises. “It will be the Government that puts the icing on the work done so far,” Morales told Europa Press.

The president of the committee has affirmed that the Volkswagen statement is “a confirmation of everything that has been said these days”, and has assured that “Volkswagen Navarra has a future in the medium and long term”.

He highlighted the two vehicles that could reach Landaben, both in the SUV segment, “are vehicles that are currently booming in the market, and leave a greater profit margin, which is better for everyone, so they can negotiate better conditions for the company and the staff itself”.

Pointing out the need for the factories to be open, he stressed that, “Although we have time estimates, and we are doing studies to manufacture electric vehicles, we have to start preparing as soon as possible”. Due to a shortage of parts, the plant suspended its production on November 29, and will not resume it until December 14, as reported by navarra.elespanol.com.

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