The president of the Generalitat Valenciana, Carlos Mazón, showed himself “Don’t worry and full of hope” about the future of the PowerCo (Volkswagen Group) battery cell gigafactory project at Parc Sagunt II (Valencia), despite the car manufacturer’s situation in Germany.
“I am very calm and I believe the sector can be very calm and hopeful,” he said after meet with the CEO of seat And CupraWayne Griffiths.
This is what he said in statements to the media at an event after the meeting with Griffiths, asking them if they had discussed the gigafactory project, the uncertainty in the electric vehicle sector or the situation of Volkswagen in Germany.
According to the Generalitat, during the meeting in Palau they discussed topics such as the evolution of the electrification in the Valencian Community, the situation of the electric vehicle and the potential of Spain at the industrial level. The Minister of Innovation, Industry, Commerce and Tourism also participated, Nuria Montesand the “financial director” of PowerCo, Javier Rivera.
“Volkswagen He pulls the cart of electrification, of the time, and he does it from the Valencian Community. And it is not a joke; on the contrary, it is a greater commitment for us and we will continue to pull the car, whatever the cost,” said Mazón.
Looking ahead, when asked whether the industry can be calm about the Volkswagen situation, he said that “it’s always a peace of mind to talk to Griffiths” and to see that the goals of both parties “are getting closer every day.”
“Total adjustment”
The head of the Consell stressed the “total adjustment» of both in the commitment to decarburization. “We are both committed to decarbonization through electrification,” he explained, acknowledging that the director of Seat “has come to recognize the work that the Generalitat is doing to advance in this direction”, even going so far as to “exceed the objectives” set for this year.
In this regard, he stressed that the community is “an example of commitment to decarbonization” and “in favor of the electric vehicle as the end point of this whole process.” “And we continue to row so that this happens as soon as possible,” he said, while criticizing the Government power plant that “continues” dissatisfied “a concerted agenda” for the Valencian automotive sector.
Regarding the question of whether the Generalitat’s budget for 2025 will include specific measures to support the electric car, he explained that “there are many measures, beyond the budgetary ones, that can be taken.” Now, he insisted that “the Spanish government is called to lead this and it is late, it has promised it on several occasions and has not taken it seriously” by approving “tax incentives “really” in VAT or Corporate Tax.
“No action has been taken for a country that must be the vanguard of electrification, not the handbrake of electrification,” he disfigured the government, which is why he demanded that it “act” with more incentives for the electric vehicle because “there is no plan B for electrification, and there is no reason to delay it.”
Support for Ford Almussafes
Regarding the support for Ford Almussafes, Mazón stressed that “there is no doubt” about the commitment from the Consell to the Valencian factory. “The new model of plug-in hybrid Ford, which is working on it, has already announced that it will be manufactured in Valencia and not elsewhere,” he stressed, emphasizing that “this new model has had many friends” and that it will finally be manufactured in Almussafes.
This achievement, he said, will generate industrial activity, jobs and training. “We continue to support Ford, we do it more and more. I believe that with total solvency and total loyalty to the entity, we do better every time,” he added.
In general, the president reiterated that the Valencian Community aspires to “continue leading the transformation of the automobile in Spain”, a responsibility that he insisted that the Generalitat assume. “And based on the notes of Ford and Volkswagen, I think we are not on the wrong track,” he added.
