Zineb Ghout became the first woman to lead an automotive group in Spain. Elena Burguete is due to take charge of Ford Iberia on 1 December, joining four other women already heading major brands in the region.
Zineb Ghout took charge of Stellantis Iberia in April, becoming the first woman to lead an automotive group in Spain. Elena Burguete is due to become Ford's CEO for Spain and Portugal on 1 December. She will join four other women already heading major automotive brands in the region.
The appointments come as the market shifts quickly. Spain registered 912,059 passenger cars and SUVs from January to September, up 6.7% year on year. In September, one in three new cars was either a battery electric vehicle or a plug-in hybrid. Anfac figures put registrations of those two types at 31,945, up 56% year on year. Together, they made up about 34% of the passenger-car market.
Electric cars have become the second most popular technology as petrol and diesel lose ground. Tesla Model 3 was September's best-selling car. The Seat Ibiza and Dacia Sandero were among the models behind it; the Toyota Corolla also trailed the Tesla.
That shift is showing up in brand results. MINI sold 9,340 cars in Spain in 2025, up 19.6% on the previous year. Sales of its electric versions rose 99.3%.
Pilar Cascales took over MINI Iberia strategy on 1 October, after working across BMW Group España and MINI. Before the appointment, she managed marketing and product at BMW Bank España, with responsibility for insurance. She replaces Carlos Martínez Gil, who moved to BMW's Iberia marketing role in September.
Mar Pieltain has led Lexus España since January 2020. Since April, her remit has also included Toyota's Customer Experience and Operational Excellence areas. Lexus sold 9,200 cars in Spain in 2025, its best year on record, and accounted for around 5% of the premium market. Pieltain's target for 2026 is to exceed 10,000 sales.
Her Toyota career began in 2003. She worked in sales and customer experience before moving into marketing. Later, she managed the dealer network. Pieltain studied business at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid and completed the Advanced Management Program at ESADE and Wharton School.
Ana Gema Ortega has headed Peugeot in Spain and Portugal since January 2025. Peugeot registered 81,861 passenger cars and commercial vehicles in Spain in 2025, 12% more than a year earlier, and finished fourth in the market.
Ortega joined Renault Retail in 2001, then worked in product and marketing roles in Spain and Paris. She became Renault España's fleet director in 2017. In 2021, she moved to lead Dacia España sales before taking the Peugeot post.
Mónica Mira has been Country Leapmotor Brand Manager for Spain and Portugal since September 2024. Chinese brands took 12.3% of Spanish registrations in the first half of the year. Their presence is especially strong in electrified vehicles: from January to September 2026, Chinese marques accounted for 31.5% of fully electric car registrations. Their share reached 37.9% when plug-in hybrids were included.
MG and BYD were major sellers, while Omoda & Jaecoo also accounted for much of the total. BYD ranked sixth in September. Leapmotor recorded 2,975 registrations in Spain in 2025, its first full year in the market. Mira's 2026 target is to double sales.
Mira's role covers the brand's launch and dealer network in both countries. She also oversees vehicle introductions. She entered the automotive sector in financial roles in 1994, including work with Peugeot's own retail network in Valencia and Madrid. After posts at Ford and Peugeot, she moved into Stellantis network development.
Manufacturers face pressures beyond electrification. A report on defence production examined certification and security requirements for Spanish car factories considering European defence contracts. Factory scale was another hurdle.
Burguete brings more than 30 years at Ford to her new role. She joined in 1994 and later led Ford Iberia marketing. In 2019, she took charge of Ford Pro, the commercial-vehicle division. Since 2023, she has worked at Ford Europe as director of training and dealer relations.
Ford announced in October that Burguete would become president and CEO of Ford Iberia on 1 December. She will succeed Jesús Alonso, who is retiring after more than 30 years with the company. Alonso has led the division since 2015. Separately, Ford's Spanish plant has reached a four-year labour agreement that provides for production of two Geely electric models for Europe and three Ford models.
Ghout oversees ten Stellantis brands in Spain and Portugal. They include Abarth and Alfa Romeo, as well as Citroën and DS Automobiles. Her portfolio also covers Fiat and Jeep, alongside Lancia and Leapmotor. Opel and Peugeot complete the line-up.
Her responsibilities extend to used vehicles and aftersales. They also include parts and services. Ghout joined Stellantis in 2023 after nearly 20 years at Renault and its subsidiaries. She became head of Peugeot Europe in November 2024.
