Volkswagen has indicated that it may allocate additional electric vehicle production and a new platform to its Martorell plant in Spain, a move that could involve the Scalable Systems Platform (SSP), which is expected to underpin the electric successors to the Cupra Leon and Formentor.
According to Electrive, citing Spanish publication La Tribuna de Automoción, an internal Volkswagen Group document outlined the possibility of assigning a second EV platform to the Martorell facility. The Group is reportedly assessing the introduction of the SSP architecture, which is slated to serve as the foundation for future electric Cupra models. However, any investment decision remains subject to financial targets, as Martorell is among ten international sites required to deliver significant cost reductions by 2027 under Volkswagen’s ‘Group Target Picture 2030’ efficiency program.
The plant currently manufactures the Cupra Raval and Volkswagen ID. Polo, both built on the front-wheel-drive MEB Small platform. With the Seat Ibiza, Arona, Leon and Formentor expected to reach the end of their lifecycles later this decade, employee representatives have long called for an additional platform to help maintain production volumes and maximize the facility’s manufacturing capacity.
A final decision on the proposed platform allocation is still awaiting approval from Volkswagen Group’s Supervisory Board. Seat has stated that it is working extensively on the project and expects greater clarity within the next two years. If approved, production of the next-generation models is expected to begin in the early 2030s.
The potential allocation of a second electric vehicle platform to the Martorell plant is closely tied to upcoming labor negotiations. As part of its cost-reduction efforts, Volkswagen is seeking measures that include a wage freeze through 2030, reduced overtime, more flexible working arrangements, and workforce reductions in non-production functions and among external service providers. The affected facilities have been asked to submit detailed cost-saving proposals by the end of November 2026, ahead of negotiations with employee representatives.
Spanish labor unions UGT and CCOO have rejected the proposed measures in their current form. The unions argue that the inflation-linked pay adjustment agreed for 2027 should be implemented as scheduled and have called for wage negotiations to be postponed until the outcome of discussions at Volkswagen’s German plants becomes clear.
The decision regarding Martorell forms part of Volkswagen’s broader restructuring of its European manufacturing network. Ongoing discussions over the future of several Volkswagen plants in Germany have prompted a wider review of production capacity allocation across the Group.
Assigning the SSP platform to the Martorell facility would secure production of the electric successors to the Cupra Leon and Cupra Formentor in Catalonia. However, decisions on additional vehicle programs for the plant, including a potential Audi A1 e-tron or an electric Skoda Fabia, have yet to be made. The long-term future of the Seat brand also remains under consideration.
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