Martorell’s second production line could take on the Audi Q4 e-tron from 2032. The electric SUV and its Q4 e-tron Sportback sibling are currently built in Zwickau, one of four German factories whose future Volkswagen has called into question. A second large electric model could also go to Barcelona, although no final allocation has been made.
The decision matters because Martorell needs vehicles with stronger profit margins. Volkswagen is preparing a major cut to capacity and its model range, while Seat’s management has stepped up talks with the German group. Seat expects a new allocation to be announced next year. The proposal remains under discussion, not a confirmed Audi or Volkswagen production programme.
The Q4 e-tron would give the Catalan factory a larger electric vehicle after its latest award focused on smaller models. Martorell is preparing the Volkswagen ID. Polo and the Cupra Raval, the first fully electric city models to be produced at the site. Volkswagen invested 3.000 million euros to install the MEB+ platform.
Those cars start slightly above 25.000 euros without subsidies. Their margins are tight because electric vehicles generate lower profits than combustion models, information from Seat chief executive Markus Haupt. The company expects that position to improve as European emissions rules advance and electric sales grow, with battery technology also becoming cheaper.
Seat is already calculating the cost and internal changes required to build the Q4 e-tron on Martorell’s second line. Under the scenario being studied, the Formentor would move to the third line. The Ibiza and Arona would make room for it.
The shift would put more pressure on the factory’s older programmes. The Formentor reached the market in 2020 and was redesigned in 2024. The Ibiza and Arona date from 2017, and no new versions are expected.
Martorell is currently running three lines at a strong pace. The ID. Polo and Cupra Raval use the first. The Formentor and León are on the second, while the Ibiza and Arona occupy the third.
Volkswagen’s wider industrial outlook is severe. The group plans to cut global production capacity from 12 million to nine million vehicles a year. It also intends to reduce its range by 50% and cut another 50.000 jobs by 2030 through dismissals and early retirements, as well as voluntary departures. The group has raised the possibility of closing German plants, including Emden and Hannover, along with Neckarsulm and Zwickau.
Volkswagen has not approved Zwickau’s closure, but it has not guaranteed the plant a competitive workload after 2030. The current scenario envisages concentrating production on one line from 2027. The site’s longer-term role will depend on the group’s future production concepts.
Independent reporting indicates that Zwickau may lack a confirmed successor programme after 2030. That makes the Q4 e-tron one of the products for which Volkswagen is considering another location.
The same capacity problem extends beyond Zwickau. Volkswagen is reviewing alternative uses for Emden and Hannover, as well as Neckarsulm, because competitive follow-up workloads have not been guaranteed for the 2031 to 2034 period. Under its revised industrial strategy, Volkswagen wants greater flexibility across powertrains, with electric production alongside combustion-engine and hybrid models, to help factories respond to uneven demand.
That restructuring directly affects Seat’s long-term position. Volkswagen has said it cannot guarantee the Spanish brand’s continuation beyond 2030. Tighter regulation and the costs of electrification make further spending on Seat harder to assess, particularly with a new generation of electric models requiring investment.
Unions want the Barcelona site to build larger vehicles and have demanded a second electric production platform. UGT has also called for more Cupra models to return from plants abroad.
The Tavascan is built in China. The Terramar is made in Hungary. The Born is produced in Zwickau. Company sources say none can currently be transferred because the models use different platforms.
Audi faces its own production decisions. The premium brand must resolve the future of Neckarsulm and account for a 1.300 million euro negative impact on its 2025 accounts from United States tariffs. Audi has so considered manufacturing in the United States, information from its president, Gernot Döllner.
Audi has also launched the A2 e-tron as its new entry-level electric model. The Q4 e-tron remains its best-selling electric vehicle.
The proposed allocation would give Martorell a valuable industrial chance, but it would not guarantee a rescue. A large Audi model could strengthen the plant’s electric future and meet demand for higher-margin vehicles. The plan remains tied to negotiations inside a group cutting capacity while reviewing Seat’s survival beyond 2030.
Martorell needs the Q4 e-tron or another comparable programme because its current small-car award does not ease pressure on older lines. The talks remain the factory’s clearest route to stability, while Volkswagen has yet to settle Seat’s future.
