For decades, the dashboard of a new car was a Catalan-free zone. Drivers in the region could select from a host of world languages, yet their own was conspicuously absent. Now, a technological shift, primarily driven by Chinese electric vehicle (EV) manufacturers with a new industrial foothold in Barcelona, is finally putting the language in the driver’s seat.
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This week, Omoda and Jaecoo, two brands under the Chinese automotive giant Chery, announced Catalan would be included in their models’ infotainment systems. This move is particularly significant for the city because workers will assemble these vehicles at the former Nissan factory in Barcelona’s Zona Franca industrial estate. Chery’s decision to establish its first European plant here, in partnership with local brand Ebro, has also been a major boost for the region’s industry.
These brands join a growing list. Chinese competitor BYD has offered Catalan since it entered the Spanish market three years ago. The pioneers, however, were American EV-maker Tesla and the Barcelona-based electric scooter and microcar manufacturer, Silence. Even the region’s legacy automotive brand, SEAT, recently confirmed it would incorporate Catalan into its new electric Cupra models after years of declining to do so.
An Electric Revolution for Language
The fundamental change in how carmakers build modern cars is the key catalyst for this linguistic shift. The transition to electric power has turned vehicles into, as one industry analyst put it, “computers on wheels.” According to a detailed analysis by VilaWeb, this pivot from mechanics to software is paramount.
In traditional combustion engine cars, manufacturers often treated software as an outsourced afterthought, adding it to a mechanical base. This business model, focused on externalising non-core components, made translating systems into minority languages like Catalan prohibitively complex and expensive. Moreover, the software code simply wasn’t structured for easy localisation.
Legacy automakers’ struggles with this transition are well-documented. Volkswagen’s troubled launch of its first mass-market EV, the ID.3, saw thousands of completed cars parked for months, as it was unable to deliver them because of unfinished software. The company ultimately scrapped its attempt to build an in-house software division, forcing it into partnerships with tech firms like Google and rival EV-maker Rivian.
Three Roads to Catalan Integration
The new wave of EV-native companies has avoided these pitfalls by embracing a software-first approach, which has inadvertently opened the door for Catalan. There appear to be three main strategies enabling this change.
The first is the Tesla model. As much a software company as a carmaker, Tesla develops its entire operating system in-house. This gives it complete control, allowing it to add new functions or languages with a simple software update. It was the first major brand to introduce Catalan to its vehicles over five years ago.
The second, and increasingly popular, path involves using Google’s Android Automotive OS. This version of the familiar mobile operating system is specifically designed for cars. Since a community of volunteers has long translated Android fully into Catalan, car brands adopting it receive the language for free. BYD takes this route, as does SEAT more recently for its new Cupra Born and Raval models. It provides a robust, user-friendly interface without the immense cost of developing a proprietary system from scratch.
The third factor is the commercial pragmatism of Chinese brands. In their ambitious push into the European market, companies like Chery and BYD have shown a willingness to listen to local consumer and media feedback to adapt their products. For them, incorporating a language spoken by millions in a key market is a logical step towards building customer loyalty, especially when modern software architecture makes it a relatively simple task.
The Road Ahead
Catalan’s inclusion has not come without pressure. Language advocacy group Plataforma per la Llengua has actively campaigned on the issue, recently filing a complaint against Ebro for not initially offering manuals and information in Catalan. The company has since rectified this.
While these developments mark a significant breakthrough, experts note that the language’s situation in the automotive sector is still far from normalised. Most traditional manufacturers still omit it. However, as the industry’s electrification accelerates, the technological and economic barriers that once excluded Catalan are rapidly disappearing, replaced by a new competitive logic where localisation is a key advantage.
The trend is a powerful example of how global technological shifts and strategic foreign investment are intersecting with local culture and identity in Barcelona, contributing to an economic landscape that continues to show robust growth.
