The German car maker is pushing the electrification of its cars and plans to build a battery plant in Spain.

Griffiths said SEAT aims to assemble 500,000 electric cars a year in the mid-term at SEAT's plant in Martorell, outside Barcelona.

Maintaining the payroll at the plant is SEAT's priority, he added.

(Reporting by Joan Faus and Inti Landauro; editing by Emma Pinedo and Jason Neely)