Tag Archives: Spain

News

Spain Drops €1.28B to Go All-In on EVs by 2035

Spain just fired the loudest shot yet in Europe’s electric-vehicle transition. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced a sweeping €1.28 billion support package designed to supercharge both EV adoption and manufacturing in 2026—and ultimately transform the country’s auto sector by 2035.

For a nation that has long been Europe’s second-largest carmaker, the stakes are high. Internal-combustion manufacturing still dominates Spanish assembly lines, but the government’s new plan aims to boost the EV share of production to 95 percent within a decade. It’s a massive pivot, and Madrid is making it clear: build electric or fall behind.

A Three-Part Plan to Spark an Electric Surge

The funding package hits three crucial areas of the EV ecosystem:

  • €400 million in direct subsidies will go toward consumer incentives, making electric cars more attainable for everyday buyers. Spain has long lagged behind northern Europe in EV uptake, and the government hopes the extra financial push will widen the market.
  • €580 million will flow into industrial investment, backed by EU recovery funds. This is meant to keep automakers operating in Spain—and encourage them to build their next generation of electric platforms locally rather than offshore.
  • €300 million is earmarked for charging infrastructure, focused on expanding highway fast-charging coverage. Range anxiety still looms large for Spanish drivers, especially outside major cities, and Madrid wants that barrier gone.

Saving Jobs by Electrifying the Assembly Line

The shift isn’t just about climate commitments; it’s also about employment. Hundreds of thousands of jobs in Spain depend on the auto industry, and the government is signaling that the only way to preserve them is to transform them. With domestic EV production still sitting at just 10 percent of new vehicles built between January and October, Spain is racing to catch up.

Hybrid powertrains—those blending gasoline engines with batteries—made up 26.7 percent of the cars rolling out of Spanish factories during the same period. But if Sánchez’s projections hold, by the mid-2030s Spaniards will be buying almost exclusively electric vehicles.

A Quiet Battery Giant Has Already Arrived

One major player is already moving in: CATL, China’s battery titan, recently opened a Spanish plant in partnership with Stellantis. The €4-billion project anchors part of Spain’s EV supply chain, but it also raises concerns about overreliance on foreign technology. Madrid’s message here is unmistakable—Spain wants local innovation, not just local assembly.

The Road Ahead

If Spain pulls this off, the country could leapfrog into a leadership position in Europe’s electric future. But there are hurdles: consumer adoption remains slow, supply chains are still forming, and competition across Europe is fierce.

Still, with more than a billion euros now on the table and an aggressive timeline, Spain isn’t just dipping a toe into the EV pool—it’s diving in headfirst. Whether the industry can swim fast enough remains the question.

Source: Reuters; Photo: EPA

News

Lava, Luxury, and Lamborghini: The Urus SE Conquers Lanzarote

If you ever wondered what it feels like to pilot 800 hybridized horses across the surface of a sleeping volcano, Lamborghini’s latest Esperienza Avventura had the answer — and it came wrapped in basalt, sea spray, and Italian flair.

Lanzarote, the most otherworldly of the Canary Islands, looks less like a holiday destination and more like a sci-fi set designer’s fever dream. Crusted black lava fields, jagged coastlines, and wind-carved craters stretch as far as the eye can see — a place where Earth seems to have hit pause just after creation. Into this surreal landscape came the Lamborghini Urus SE, the marque’s first plug-in hybrid Super SUV and the star of a four-day odyssey that redefined what “driving experience” really means.

An Island Fit for an Italian Super SUV

Lamborghini doesn’t do ordinary. While most brands host press launches at racetracks or luxury resorts, Sant’Agata’s finest prefer their playgrounds volcanic. The Esperienza Avventura is part of Lamborghini’s global suite of experiences — somewhere between a masterclass, a luxury retreat, and a pilgrimage for the brand’s most devoted. Think of it as glamping for the super-rich — but instead of tents, you get a convoy of Urus SEs and Michelin-star dinners.

The journey began at the Paradisus by Meliá Salinas — a César Manrique-designed haven that blends whitewashed modernism with nature’s chaos. Guests eased into island life with an aloe vera workshop (yes, really) before indulging in a dinner at La Graciosa — proof that even when Lamborghini slows down, it does so at 200 km/h in style.

From Silent Grace to Thunderous Power

Day two, and the calm was over. A fleet of Urus SEs rolled out across Lanzarote’s obsidian roads, their sculpted silhouettes mirrored by the island’s sharp ridgelines. Coffee at Mirador del Río provided the caffeine — and the view — before the hybrid V8 did the rest.

The Urus SE’s 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8, paired with an electric motor, delivers a combined 800 CV (789 bhp in old money). That means zero compromise between silent, electric serenity and volcanic fury. In EV mode, the Urus glides through Manrique’s dreamlike roads like a stealth bomber; tap the throttle, and the V8 erupts — a thunderclap that ricochets off lava cliffs.

Lunch was served in Museo LagOmar, Omar Sharif’s former house carved straight into volcanic rock — because of course it was. It’s part home, part labyrinth, part Bond villain lair. Fitting, really, for a car that looks ready to star in the next 007 chase sequence.

When Horsepower Met Actual Horses

Because contrast is key, Lamborghini swapped leather seats for saddles in the afternoon. Guests went horseback riding across the volcanic trails — a reminder that horsepower doesn’t always come with a turbocharger. Dinner followed in the La Geria wine region, where vines grow improbably in black ash, and conversation inevitably turned to torque curves and carbon emissions.

Lava, Luxury, and Lamborghini: The Urus SE Conquers Lanzarote

Hybrid Heart, Pure Lamborghini Soul

Day three was a masterclass in contrasts — a day that showcased exactly why Lamborghini’s electrified future still crackles with emotion. The Urus SE flowed effortlessly from silent EV mode through quaint villages to full-throttle assaults on empty ribbons of tarmac. On Lanzarote’s sweeping switchbacks, the plug-in system proved its worth: instant torque meets volcanic traction.

Lunch at Mirador de las Salinas came with views of crystalline salt flats, before the evening turned maritime — catamaran cruising at sunset, champagne in hand, and a fleet of Urus SEs cooling quietly onshore.

A Farewell to Fire

By the final morning, guests had driven, ridden, and sailed their way through Lanzarote’s soul. A last coffee stop at El Chupadero, surrounded by jagged lava rock, set the stage for reflection. The Urus SE had proven itself not just as a Super SUV, but as a bridge — between past and future, between combustion and electrification, between raw performance and refined consciousness.

Lamborghini calls this philosophy Direzione Cor Tauri — the path toward a brighter, greener future, led by the heart. And somehow, on an island forged by fire, it all made perfect sense.

The Lamborghini Urus SE isn’t just a plug-in hybrid — it’s a rolling contradiction that works. It’s brutal yet beautiful, sustainable yet savage, a leather-clad love letter to innovation. On Lanzarote’s alien soil, it didn’t just drive; it belonged.

TopGear says: “Proof that you can save the planet — and still set your hair on fire doing it.”

Source: Lamborghini

News

Mercedes-Benz Kicks Off Pre-Series Production of the All-Electric VLE in Spain

Mercedes-Benz is officially gearing up for a new chapter in its van lineup. At its Vitoria plant in Spain, the company has begun building pre-series versions of the all-electric VLE, a model that will make its global debut in 2026. This isn’t just another van with a battery bolted in—it’s the first product developed on Mercedes’ brand-new modular, scalable Van Electric Architecture (VAN.EA), and it promises to blend the driving manners of a limousine with the space and practicality of a full-blown MPV.

A Plant Rebuilt for the Future

The Vitoria facility, which has been building vehicles since 1954, has undergone a massive modernization program to handle the new VLE. The factory’s 5,000 employees were retrained on new digital tools, IT systems, and manufacturing techniques. A new body shop and fully flexible paint line have been added, and the assembly hall was overhauled—all without stopping the current production of the Vito, eVito, and V-Class.

Mercedes is touting the Vitoria plant as a benchmark for sustainable production. Since 2013, all purchased electricity has been sourced from renewables, and the factory now generates its own green power via solar panels. Geothermal energy heats the buildings, while waste heat from the paint shop is also reused. As part of the brand’s larger push, production across Mercedes-Benz Vans is net carbon-neutral.

Digital-First Manufacturing

For the VLE program, Mercedes leaned heavily on digital methods. The entire plant was virtually recreated as a “digital twin” before physical construction, enabling engineers to fine-tune processes with AI-driven simulations. The result? Faster ramp-up, fewer errors, and greater efficiency. And when series production begins in 2026, the VLE will debut the Mercedes-Benz Operating System (MB.OS) in a van for the first time.

What to Expect from the VLE

The VLE will be offered in a wide range of configurations—from eight-seat family haulers to plush executive shuttles. Mercedes promises sedan-like ride and handling paired with versatile space management. Early prototypes have already proven their mettle:

  • Aerodynamics: Record-breaking results in the wind tunnel.
  • Real-World Range: A Stuttgart-to-Rome road trip required only two 15-minute charging stops.
  • Performance: High-speed agility at Nardò’s test track in southern Italy.
  • Durability: Arctic Circle testing showed resilience in extreme cold and snow.

And while the first VLE models will be electric-only, the new platform is designed with flexibility in mind—meaning combustion versions are also in the pipeline.

Why It Matters

Mercedes is betting big on electrification in the van segment, and the VLE is the spearhead. Unlike today’s eVito or EQV, which are adaptations of combustion platforms, the VLE is electric from the ground up. That means better packaging, improved efficiency, and a more competitive stance against newcomers in the EV people-mover and light-commercial market.

Looking Ahead

“The new VLE is the first vehicle of our new, modular and highly flexible van architecture. In record time we have brought the VLE from the initial concept considerations to production maturity,” said Thomas Klein, Head of Mercedes-Benz Vans.

Vitoria’s plant boss, Bernd Krottmayer, was even more direct: “We are ready to build the future of Mercedes-Benz Vans.”

When the production-spec VLE finally breaks cover in 2026, it won’t just mark the launch of a new model. It will represent the start of a new generation of Mercedes vans—digitally engineered, sustainably built, and designed to drive like nothing else in the segment.

Source: Mercedes-Benz