Seat & Cupra has officially opened its new €300 million battery assembly facility at the Martorell site near Barcelona. The Spanish carmaker confirmed operations began this week at what it’s calling Europe’s newest electric vehicle battery gigafactory.
The 64,000-square-metre facility took two years to complete. It’s designed to produce one MEB+ battery system every 45 seconds – that’s 1,200 units daily or 300,000 annually.
Starting in 2026, the Martorell plant will supply battery packs for two upcoming models: the Cupra Raval and Volkswagen ID. Polo. Both vehicles will roll off the same production line at the existing Martorell manufacturing facility.
Advanced Battery Technology
The new MEB+ systems use cell-to-pack design with lithium-iron phosphate chemistry. This approach cuts manufacturing costs while delivering better range and faster charging speeds than previous generations.
Battery packs move from assembly to vehicle production via an automated 600-metre bridge system. The internal transport method reduces the factory’s carbon emissions compared to traditional truck-based logistics.
Sustainability features include 11,000 rooftop solar panels that generate 70% of the facility’s electricity needs.
Leading Volkswagen’s Electric Strategy
Seat & Cupra heads the Volkswagen Group’s ‘Urban Car Family’ project – an initiative that’ll produce four electric models across three brands in Spain.
“The opening of this battery system assembly plant is a turning point in the history of Seat and Cupra,” said CEO Markus Haupt. “Today we see how our ambition becomes a reality – we are ready to produce 100% electric ‘Made in Spain’ cars that will make electric mobility accessible across Europe.”
Haupt described Martorell as “the epicentre of the mobility of the future.”
He emphasized the facility’s role in Volkswagen’s broader electric strategy: “We are proud to be leading the Electric Urban Car project for the Brand Group Core of the Volkswagen Group and to produce two of the models that will change the rules of the game in electrification, starting with the Cupra Raval.”
The remaining Urban Car Family models – the Skoda Epiq and Volkswagen ID. Cross – will be manufactured at Volkswagen’s Navarra facility, located 280 miles away on Spain’s east coast.
Seat & Cupra’s Martorell operation represents one of Europe’s largest investments in electric vehicle battery production outside Germany.
