Spain's PM announces plan to directly aid electric car purchases and calls for lower prices
Pedro Sánchez believes that this joint strategy to reduce the price of electric vehicles will help all households have access to them
"We must build cars that are as competitive as our talent allows and economical enough for Spaniards to afford them," Spain's PM Pedro Sánchez said at the closing of the Plan Auto 2030 presentation - a joint initiative through which the government and the sector seek solutions to increase electric car sales and make them affordable. The automobile sector accounts for 10% of Spain's GDP.
Chinese electric cars are expanding at a great pace, which is why Sánchez reminded the public that Spain "not only has to build the best cars, but also sell them". The Moves III plan has financed the purchase of 170,000 electric cars. Sales in 2025 have doubled compared to last year, but the truth is that Spain is still at lower levels of electric vehicle sales. In addition, Sánchez acknowledges that, "despite the large investment in charging points, there is a lack of infrastructure and too much bureaucracy".
"Let's accept that in the electric vehicle race there is a country much more advanced than Spain. Let's be humble and let them teach us how to transform the sector," the head of the Spanish government said. While confirming that China is the leading country, the president of car manufacturers' association Anfac highlighted the importance of the sector in Spain and the new plan that aims to increase the industry's value from 85 billion to 120 billion by 2030. The goal is to reach a production of 2.7 million 100% electrified cars and to employ 1.9 million people.
Secretary of state for industry Jordi García Brustenga said that the automotive sector is in the midst of a transformation process. "Either we can do it or we will lose part of the sector," he said. According to him, a third of the sector's value is at stake, but if the focus is placed on supporting this industry, 33% of value can be gained.
The sector's criticism is that the plan should have a budget. A few days ago, Anfac president Josep María Recasens said that, without objectives and a budget, the plan would be "a mere pamphlet or report". In his speech at the event held on Wednesday at the Ministry of Industry, Recasens stated that "there is no time to lose" and that the current value of the sector of 85,000 million achieved after 40 years can be lost very quickly.
Recasens said the sector has "more challenges than ever", which is why he called for greater attention to innovation and technology. "It is a new sport and we in Spain are used to playing in the first world, no one can be left behind," he said. More than 95% of Spain's current production in the combustion vehicle value chain, while the world is moving to electric. "Let's make no mistake, this is not about selling cars as that will always happen. The question is whether we want to be just a market where vehicles are sold or an industrial and technological benchmark where vehicles are manufactured," Recasens said.
