Jordi Pujol, the ex-President of the Generalitat, once likened Catalonia to a locomotive pulling the Spanish economy along without ever controlling its driver. Despite playing second fiddle to Madrid politically, Barcelona does play a vital role in Spain’s economy, contributing 14.29% of its overall GDP. It has a large tertiary sector (tourism, services) contributing to over half of its local economy, a reliance on heavy industry (iron, steel, copper), and is accumulating high technology parks, such as the Barcelona Biomedical Research Park in Vila Olímpica. Another growth sector is the automobile industry; Volkswagen-owned Seat’s opening of a new plant in the suburb of Martorell provided 12,000 local jobs. A total of 450,000 cars are manufactured there every year.