Zona Franca (ˈzonə ˈfɾaŋkə, also called in ) is a logistics and industrial area located in the Sants-Montjuïc

Sants-Montjuïc

Sants-Montjuïc is one of the ten districts Barcelona has been split in since 1984, numbered District 3. Comprising very different areas of the city, it covers the southern part of Barcelona, joining the two former districts II and VII , as well as the different areas comprised in the Zona Franca...

 district of Barcelona

Barcelona

Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...

, Catalonia

Catalonia

Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...

 (Spain

Spain

Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

). It is near the C-31 road and la Marina de Sants

La Marina de Sants

La Marina de Sants or la Marina is an area of the district of Sants-Montjuïc, Barcelona. This area is divided into two neighborhoods: the lower la Marina de Port and the high, la Marina del Prat Vermell....

 (Barcelona), el Prat de Llobregat

El Prat de Llobregat

El Prat de Llobregat , commonly known as El Prat, is a municipality in the comarca of Baix Llobregat inCatalonia, Spain. It is situated in the delta of the Llobregat river on the right bank, bordering the coast of the Mediterranean Sea between Barcelona and Viladecans. More than a quarter of the...

 and l'Hospitalet de Llobregat

L'Hospitalet de Llobregat

L'Hospitalet de Llobregat or briefly L'Hospitalet is a city to the immediate southwest of Barcelona in Catalonia, Spain, and the second largest in Catalonia by population...

. It is in a very strategic position to be between Barcelona Free Port

Barcelona Free Port

The Port of Barcelona has a 2000-year history and great contemporary commercial importance. It is Catalonia's largest port, vying with Tarragona, and Europe's ninth largest container port, with a trade volume of 2.57 million TEU's in 2008. It is also one of the most important ports in the...

 and Barcelona Airport.

The upcoming Barcelona Metro

Barcelona Metro

The Barcelona Metro , part of the public transportation system of Barcelona, Catalonia, is an extensive network of electrified railways that run underground in central Barcelona and above ground into the city's suburbs. Since July 31, 2010, Barcelona Metro system consists of 11 lines with 165...

 line L9

Barcelona Metro line 9

Line 9 is a line of the Barcelona Metro network that is currently under construction, with five stations open in the Santa Coloma de Gramenet suburb since December 2009...

, currently under development, will serve Zona Franca and connect it with central Barcelona and the rest of the metropolitan area.

Main industries

Opened in 1953, the original SEAT, S.A.

SEAT

SEAT, S.A. is a Spanish automobile manufacturer founded on May 9, 1950 by the Instituto Nacional de Industria , a state-owned industrial holding company....

 automotive industry

Automotive industry

The automotive industry designs, develops, manufactures, markets, and sells motor vehicles, and is one of the world's most important economic sectors by revenue....

 factory and production line is located in Zona Franca. Following SEAT's acquisition by the German

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 automotive giant Volkswagen Group

Volkswagen Group

Volkswagen Group is a German multinational automobile manufacturing group. , Volkswagen was ranked as the world’s third largest motor vehicle manufacturer and Europe's largest....

, the plant no longer produces actual cars

Automobile

An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...

, but is instead now solely used as a press shop, stamping out metal body panels. It currently employs 1,269 people.

The area is also has a Nissan Motors

Nissan Motors

, usually shortened to Nissan , is a multinational automaker headquartered in Japan. It was a core member of the Nissan Group, but has become more independent after its restructuring under Carlos Ghosn ....

 factory, which produces the Nissan Pathfinder

Nissan Pathfinder

The Nissan Pathfinder is a SUV manufactured by Nissan Motors since 1986, derived from Nissan's compact pickup truck platform. The Pathfinder is slotted in size between the Murano and Armada or Patrol, but in price between the Xterra and Murano...

 and Nissan Primastar

Nissan Primastar

The Nissan PrimaStar is a medium commercial vehicle originally launched in 2001, and is available in panel van, combi, bus and chassis cab configurations. Two wheelbases and two roof heights are available, as well as three diesel engines and a petrol. The vehicle resulted from a joint venture...

.