When Arantxa Alonso (Madrid, 1976) took the stage in the hangar of the old and legendary Tempelhof Berlin airport, she explained that she had convinced her husband, her two children and her two dogs (sic) because the accompanied to Anhui (in China) to oversee the assembly of thousands of Cupra Tavascans (Seat's electric urban SUV) at the new Volkswagen factory there. China is not only the place where the model designed and developed in Barcelona will be produced, but has been a source of inspiration for Cupra's engineers and designers. Like the illuminated logo.
“Front logo lighting did not have the option of being legal in Europe until relatively recently. And yet in China yes. That's why we captured the innovation and started working on it to be able to have it available at the time of production", reflects Alonso.
That will be at the end of this year, when serial production begins. Seat chairman Wayne Griffiths said they expect to sell 70,000 units of the model. Two dozen Seat specialists have been preparing the production of the new vehicle since before the pandemic in Anhui (between Shanghai and the infamous Wuhan). Some even passed the pandemic in the Asian country. In fact, there are already Seat technicians who have returned after spending two years there, which is the average time that expats live in the country.
Volkswagen has built the factory from scratch with a local partner that holds a 25% stake. "In the beginning there was nothing. They tell you the history of trucks removing soil. It has really been starting from scratch. Which is great", explains Alonso, who believes that more than a risk it is an opportunity that the first vehicle to leave the Volkswagen plant is a Cupra. "We are not afraid to be the first. In fact, it almost even makes us want it more, because you don't have to follow what someone else has already done. You can start from scratch and that gives you tremendous freedom. A factory, a development center, has been set up in just two years, passing the pandemic, that is, the difficulties of movement. Solutions have been found for everything. This shows that, when you know what you want, what you dream of, you find a way."
What is unknown is how geopolitical risks can affect the whole process, since only the new model will be manufactured there. "This is impossible to control, as it was impossible to control the pandemic. But hey, it's part of the challenges and I think there are more opportunities than disadvantages", reflected Alonso, who drives a Volswagen ID.6 in China because the Cupra Tavascan will not be sold in that market. Last week, President Griffiths recalled that the company could not miss the opportunity to finally have an electric car with the characteristics of the Tavascan that cannot now be produced in Martorell. The cars will arrive by boat because the international political situation makes it impossible to go by land.
"In China we can be completely sure of the Volkswagen Group's processes. In a visit last week, the evaluation of the preserias is better or similar to that of other launches", according to Alonso.
Seat's management ensures that all labor measures are complied with in accordance with those established by the Volkswagen consortium for the plant. "Sometimes you wonder if they will understand us that far. And the truth is that it took very little time for them all to go together. In the end, the human part is what is important because cars are not assembled by machines; people ride them, and they are as 'plugged in' as we are".
What if in the end the Tavascan fails as a model? "The car has a very good acceptance, it has a lot of potential. Obviously, we have to wait to get to the market, but the information we have so far is very, very, very hopeful." Alonso defines the target audience: "Our client is always younger than the rest of the group. We are around ten years less than the average. And then, logically, it is someone with a medium-high purchasing power, I would say."
