Production of two compact electric vehicles, the Volkswagen ID. Polo and CUPRA Raval, has begun at SEAT & CUPRA’s car plant in Martorell, Spain, marking the beginning of Volkswagen Group’s ‘Electric Urban Car Family’ – a cohort of four fully-electric models which look to make more affordable EVs available to the masses across Europe. The other two models set to make up the Electric Urban Car Family include the Volkswagen ID. Cross and Skoda Epiq, which adopt a more rugged crossover shape. These two models won’t enter production until later this year, and will also be produced in Spain – but at a separate car plant in Navarra.
Rolling off the same production line and being part of the same model family, the ID. Polo and Raval share many of their parts under the surface, despite their distinct exterior looks. This heavy level of parts sharing has reduced complexity and costs for the group, allowing the models to come onto the market at record low prices – both models will start at under €25,000 across much of Europe, making them some of the most affordable electric cars on the market.
The milestone of starting production was attended by a number of senior Volkswagen Group executives, and also Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez – highlighting just how important this new EV production is for Spain’s automotive industry. It’s currently the second largest auto manufacturer in Europe, only beaten by Germany, and ensuring that its plants are ready for EV production will be crucial for it to maintain that position.
Markus Haupt, CEO of SEAT & CUPRA, commented:
“Today marks much more than the start of production of two cars. It is a milestone for SEAT & CUPRA and clear proof of what we can achieve through teamwork. With the CUPRA Raval and the Volkswagen ID. Polo, we are not only launching the production of two models, but we are demonstrating our ability to lead and shape the future of mobility. We have completed our transformation, investing more than €3 billion in Martorell and driving a profound cultural change to become an industrial powerhouse. And we’re proud to say that we’re ready to electrify Europe from Spain.”
