The Car of the Year awards for Iberian Press Readers have once again brought together the Spanish automotive sector in a crowded gala where the Hyundai Ioniq 5 received the twentieth edition of these consolidated awards. An event that would also star Wayne Griffiths, President of Seat, and Alphabet Spain, awarded this time with the distinction of Name of the Engine and the Institutional Engine Award, respectively.
Reyes Maroto, Minister of Industry, Trade and Tourism, took advantage of his attendance at the event to announce “the publication in the BOE of a new call that we develop with the Innovative Business Groups with an investment of 50 million euros, and in which the automotive industry is one of the most benefited ”. Maroto also highlighted “the approval of the bases of the State Pact for Industry in a document that will be presented to Congress tomorrow (today) and in which economic and social agents are identified as a lever of transformation. Through this state pact, the necessary confidence and security are given.
The head of the Industry portfolio admitted that “we are in a complex time of transformation but we must also write a history for the automotive industry, strengthening public and private collaboration to lead this process.” In this sense, Maroto placed special emphasis on the implementation of the PERTE (Strategic Projects for economic recovery and transformation) of the Electric Vehicle and Connecta to which has been added the recently presented PERTE Chip with a public investment of more than 12 billion euros, which means that “Spain not only wants to play the game, but goes out to win.”
Transformation of mobility
Javier Moll, President of Prensa Ibérica, emphasized in his speech “the commitment of the automotive sector to progress and that, despite the difficulties, it maintains the investment pulse and steps on the accelerator to adapt as soon as possible to the transformation of mobility ”. A process led by electricity in which “brands are taking increasingly firm steps” with the support of the government with the aim of “turning our country into a hub of electromobility and boosting the economy, the employment and the solvency of a sector that is a tractor in our country ».
Faced with the new industrial scenario dominated by electricity, the president of Prensa Ibérica said that “we are facing a challenge, and at the same time an opportunity that we cannot miss. A train that Spain has to get on, and it has to do it in the leading car ». To end his speech, Javier Moll concluded the speech by highlighting the commitment of Prensa Ibérica to maintain and strengthen its support for information related to the world of the automotive industry. A “strategy that is consolidated with the incorporation of the best professionals to bet from our heads for the new mobility and enhance our star publication, NEOMotor, which brings together all the information in the sector.”
Pol Satrústegui, General Manager of Hyundai Motor España, received from the Minister of Industry, Trade and Tourism the 2022 Readers’ Car of the Year award won by the Hyundai Ioniq 5. A recognition that according to Satrústequi «makes us special il I am delighted to be the first electric model to achieve the Car of the Year for Readers, which shows that the market is changing in its evolution towards sustainability. Also, according to the director of the Korean firm, “the Ioniq 5 is the spearhead in terms of electrical technology of Hyundai, the largest exponent of a commitment to electric vehicles by our brand and that is the advancement of a 100% electric range that will have 11 models by 2030 and an investment of 15 billion euros.
For his part, Alberto Copado, CEO of Alphabet Spain, expressed his satisfaction at receiving the Institutional Motor Award, assuring that “this recognition is a boost to our motivation to continue advancing to promote sustainable mobility for our customers, as well as an injection of excitement for our entire team and partner companies. Likewise, the top leader of this BMW Group rental company stated the way forward “to continue to offer new solutions and innovative products characterized by sustainability that help us in this transition.”
In its 2022 edition the Readers’ Car of the Year Awards awarded the Engine Name distinction to Wayne Griffiths. The president of Seat SA began his speech by expressing his satisfaction at receiving an award that “recognizes Seat’s effort to turn Spain into a hub for electric vehicles in Europe.” A benchmark for the automotive industry that began more than 70 years ago when “Seat put Spain on wheels. Now it’s time to put Spain on electric wheels. In this sense, the main leader of the Spanish firm highlighted the work done to “convince the VW Group to mobilize 10 billion euros in a real country project that involves the largest investment of the group beyond the German borders.” A challenge that will be the first “electric and sustainable car made in Spain”, in the face of a future in which “there is no plan B, and when is the time to accelerate and we must win.” Niurka Sancho, director of lubricants of Cepsa and Raúl Costilla, CEO and general director of Mapfre Vida, accompanied Javier Moll and Reyes Maroto in the delivery of the sculptures of Martín Chirino to each one of the awarded.
