Hereu announces a new €280 million PERTE for batteries

BarcelonaExcept for the Automobile, the Barcelona International Motor Show, which was opened this Friday by the President of the Generalitat (Catalan Government), Salvador Illa; the Minister of Industry, Jordi Hereu; and the Mayor of Barcelona, ​​Jaume Collboni. A show where Chinese brands double their presence and now represent a third of the exhibitors, and where electrified vehicles take center stage. The event opens to the general public this Saturday until Sunday of next week.

In fact, Hereu took advantage of the show to announce a new Strategic Project for Economic Recovery and Transformation (PERTE) of €280 million for the battery industry. Of that amount, €100 million will be subsidies and €180 million will be loans. "With this, we take another step toward helping the sector transform its production lines," the minister commented. "It's good news because we need transformation processes in production, to stimulate demand, and also to expand the charging network," he added in statements to the media. Hereu also stated that he wants a "good agreement" between Europe and the United States, but at the same time called for Spain and European countries to defend their productive sectors.

The 43rd edition of the Automobile aims to set a new visitor record. The show's president, Enric Lacalle, has pointed to the possibility of surpassing 350,000 people. To achieve this, he explained, they will take advantage of Sunday's Barça-Madrid match, as attendees with tickets to the football match will be able to access the Fira de Barcelona exhibition space. The president of the event championed the show not only as a showcase for manufacturers, but also as a meeting point for buyers, which will make this May "a year of many sales" for the sector.

Given the growing presence of Chinese brands at the show, Lacalle argued that these manufacturers from the Asian giant have made cars cheaper, especially in the case of electric vehicles. "This is good, competition is good," stated the president of the Automobile Association, warning that "brands that don't sell are making a mistake." But not everyone sees it the same way. Within the framework of the event, the digital media Global Car the barometer has advanced Auto Mobility Trends 2025, which shows that the automotive sector is growing concerned about Chinese brands and tariffs. Specifically, 68 percent of companies in the sector expect a strong or very strong impact from the entry of new Asian brands, according to Atrevia in a statement.

Seat celebrates its birthday

The Catalan presence at the show is significant. This Friday, May 9th, Seat celebrates 75 years since its founding, at an event attended by President Isla, Minister Hereu, the company's Vice President Laura Carnicero, and the interim president, Markus Haupt. All of them emphasized the importance of this company, which directly employs 14,000 people and indirectly 100,000, and which contributes approximately 1% of Spain's GDP. The company wanted to share this success with its employees and announced a bonus of €10 million, or approximately €575 per employee.

Separately, in the Plaza del Universo at the Fair, an exhibition commemorates these 75 years of the company "that put Spain on wheels," in Haupt's words, with a display of 75 models that have been launched during this time. From the legendary 600 to the first-generation 124 from 1969, which was the one millionth unit manufactured by the company, including the 850 Spider, the 1200 Bocanegra, and a multitude of other models. "We put Spain on wheels, and now we'll do it on electric wheels," said the interim president of Seat and Cupra, who highlighted the commitment to the electrification of mobility, as did Isla, Hereu, and Collboni.

The other Catalan brand present at the show is Ebro Motors, which took the opportunity to present its third model, the Ebro s400, a non-plug-in hybrid urban SUV.