Volkswagen’s CEO boasts about his factory in Navarra: “Very few plants in the world can do this”
18/09/2026 17:00
Updated to
18/09/2026 17:00
Volkswagen has just taken another significant step in transforming its factory in Navarra. The Landaben plant has begun producing the new Volkswagen ID. Cross, which joins the Škoda Epiq and the Volkswagen T-Cross and Taigo that are already being manufactured there. This is an especially unusual combination in the industry, as the Navarra factory currently produces four models from two different brands and also combines electric vehicles with gasoline cars.
Thomas Schäfer, Volkswagen’s CEO and head of the Brand Group Core, did not overlook this fact. “At Volkswagen Navarra, four models from two brands—both gasoline and electric—are produced: very few factories in the world can do this,” he said during the launch of ID. Cross production.
The first Volkswagen ID. Cross has already left the factory
This new electric SUV represents another significant shift for a plant that has focused on gasoline-powered vehicles for decades. Volkswagen Navarra thus completes the electrification process carried out over the past few years. The first ID. Cross manufactured in Landaben comes in the Life trim and is equipped with a 155 kW (211 HP) electric motor. The first unit left the assembly line painted in nori green and is headed to Germany.
But the model’s reach will be much greater. Volkswagen plans to market the ID. Cross in 34 countries, making Navarra one of the centers responsible for supplying the European market with this new electric SUV. Schäfer also emphasized the importance of this car for Volkswagen itself. “The ID. Cross is a very important step for our brand and for our customers in Europe, who expect us to offer attractive, reliable, and above all, affordable electric cars.”
Four different cars are already leaving Landaben
The introduction of the ID. Cross creates a rather unique situation at Volkswagen Navarra’s facilities. There, electric vehicles such as the Volkswagen ID. Cross and Škoda Epiq are now produced alongside gasoline-powered models like the Volkswagen T-Cross and Taigo. This flexibility is precisely one of the arguments Volkswagen uses to highlight the competitiveness of this plant in Navarra. Over its 60-year history, Landaben has also produced more than ten million vehicles.
Adapting to the new electric vehicles has also required transforming much of the factory and training its workforce. Volkswagen states that over 290,000 hours have been invested in training workers during the electrification process.
Michael Hobusch, president of Volkswagen Navarra, believes the arrival of the ID. Cross represents more than just adding a new car to the assembly lines. According to the executive, this transformation helps improve the plant’s competitiveness and contributes to securing jobs.
Volkswagen aims to produce over a million cars on the Peninsula
The ID. Cross project is part of Volkswagen Group’s broader strategy in Spain and Portugal. The company is focusing much of its future urban electric vehicle production on the Iberian Peninsula. Spain will manufacture four electric models from three different brands: Volkswagen ID. Polo, Volkswagen ID. Cross, CUPRA Raval, and Škoda Epiq. This is in addition to the expected growth at the Group’s three major facilities on the Peninsula: Martorell, Pamplona, and Palmela.
André Kleb, Chief Production Officer for the Iberian Peninsula, says this region is gaining importance within Volkswagen Group. According to his projections, the three plants will soon produce over a million vehicles per year.