SEAT and its sister brand, Cupra, are saying that 2025 will be, from their perspective, a ‘pivotal year’ on the journey to electrification.
Huge industrial investment
So far, SEAT, Cupra, and Volkswagen Group have been heavily investing in the Future: Fast Forward project. In fact, that’s one of the biggest industrial investments in Spanish history, which gives you some idea of the importance of the operations in Martorell to the rest of the VW Group.
SEAT says that its future is now based on three main pillars - a cultural shift within its workforce, preparing the Martorell plant to produce the Volkswagen Group’s Electric Urban Car family, and releasing Cupra’s comprehensive EV product range. There’s no specific mention yet of any all-electric SEAT-badged models, but we know that there is the potential for an all-electric next-generation Leon, although that’s still very much TBC.
As part of the company’s cultural shift, it provided 170,000 hours of employee training in 2024. In 2025, it’s encouraging as many of those employees as possible to switch to driving an electric car, a move that would make every one of them an ‘electric ambassador’ and able to encourage friends and family to do the same.
More charging points for EVs
To enable that switch, SEAT and Cupra are going to install 128 new charging points at the Martorell and El Prat factories, doubling the current number. To lead the way, all the company’s management team, consisting of over 450 people, already drives electrified vehicles. This initiative is projected to save more than 8,600 tonnes of CO2 annually, equivalent to the annual energy consumption of 1,100 households.
Already, the energy used by the on-site chargers is certified as ‘green’ electricity, and that will be backed up in 2025 by the energy generated by the company’s solar power plant for self-consumption, which will continue to expand with the installation of new panels. The company will also be installing charging points in the parking lots around its Martorell factory over the next 12 months, bringing the total to 140, with plans for further expansion. These chargers will also be publicly accessible to facilitate charging for all drivers of electric and electrified vehicles.
“At SEAT S.A., we lead by example. In 2025, we will continue advancing our electrification journey while striving to make Spain a hub for electromobility alongside the Volkswagen Group,” said Wayne Griffiths, CEO of SEAT and Cupra. “We want SEAT S.A.’s people to be the first drivers of change. We are encouraging the use of electrified vehicles among employees and strengthening our charging network. We are firmly committed but we also need support from the administrations, with concrete measures to accelerate this transformation nationwide.”
Getting ready for Raval and ID.2
Major changes are also being made at the Martorell factory. Production of the Ibiza and Arona models has been moved to one production line (Line 3) to make way for major upgrades to Line 1. From 2026 onwards, the new, compact, all-electric Cupra Raval and the Volkswagen ID.2 will be built there. These will, significantly, be the first models made in the Volkswagen Group’s Electric Urban Car family.
Recent milestones include the installation of a more powerful and efficient press, the commissioning of the Volkswagen Group’s first fully electric paint-drying oven, the launching of the e-House to ensure smooth electronics integration for urban EVs, and progress on the battery assembly plant construction.
Aside from all of that, SEAT and Cupra continue to grow. SEAT itself is celebrating its 75th birthday this year, and we’ll see major updates for the Leon, Ibiza, and Arona to mark that occasion. Cupra is, of course, expanding fast with the updated Leon and Formentor, the sportier Born VZ, the new Tavascan electric SUV, and the Terramar SUV, available in long-range plug-in hybrid form, which was shortlisted for the 2025 European Car Of The Year.