en:company:News & Events:Company:Christian Friedl becomes new Director of the SEAT plant in Martorell COM/EN

New Director of the Martorell plant.

Christian Friedl has been appointed Director of SEAT’s Martorell plant starting from 1st January. Friedl previously headed the Porsche plant in Zuffenhausen (Germany), the brand’s main production centre, and in his new position he will report to the company’s Vice-President for Production and Logistics, Herbert Steiner. The new Director of SEAT Martorell replaces Dr. Rainer Fessel, who will take over the management of the Volkswagen factory in Wolfsburg.

Until now, Friedl directed the Porsche plant in Zuffenhausen.

Friedl will be responsible for SEAT’s main plant, where the company produces six different models on three production lines: the SEAT Ibiza, SEAT Arona, SEAT Leon, CUPRA Leon, CUPRA Formentor and Audi A1. The new SEAT Martorell Director will lead the electrification of the factory, which in recent weeks has begun production of the SEAT Leon e-HYBRID and the CUPRA Leon e-HYBRID, and the new CUPRA Formentor, the first model developed exclusively by the CUPRA brand, which in the coming weeks will also add a plug-in electric hybrid version. Today, the Martorell factory manufactures 2,200 cars a day and has more than 9,000 employees.

SEAT President Wayne Griffiths emphasised that “Christian Friedl is one of the best managers in the production area of the Volkswagen Group. He was appointed Director of the Porsche Zuffenhausen plant before the age of 40 and led its expansion to accommodate the production of the new Porsche Taycan. With his leadership and that of Herbert Steiner, we aim to transform the Martorell plant to build electric vehicles from 2025.”

The President of SEAT also congratulated Dr. Rainer Fessel on his appointment as head of the Wolfsburg plant: “In his two and a half years at SEAT, he has guided the Martorell plant to record volumes and successfully launched four new models. I wish him all the best in his new career at the heart of the Volkswagen Group and thank him for his time at SEAT.”

He will report to Vice-President for Production and Logistics, Herbert Steiner.

Furthermore, SEAT Executive Vice-President for Production and Logistics Herbert Steiner underscored that “it’s a pleasure to have Christian Friedl in my team. His career at Porsche will help to further promote more sustainable, intelligent and digitised production processes to meet the challenges of the coming years.”

The new Director of SEAT Martorell has developed his career at Porsche, which he joined in 1999. Having studied mechanical engineering at the Regensburg University of Applied Sciences, he has held various production-related positions in the areas of engines, bodywork and paint. In 2016, he was appointed Director of Porsche’s Zuffenhausen production plant, which produces models such as the 911 and the Taycan, Porsche’s first 100% electric vehicle.