The event began with a welcome from José Ignacio Parellada, president of the University's Alumni Board. Next, David Ortega, former Business Administration and Management (ADE) student and managing partner of Improva Consulting, introduced the discussion with Mikel Palomera.

The manager of SEAT and Cupra España offered an overview of the motor vehicle market in the Iberian Peninsula. He dealt with issues such as the aging of motor vehicles and the problems about pollution or road safety, from car sharing, renting and the semiconductor shortage, to the position of the newest brand in the company, Cupra. 

In this context, Palomera spoke of economic and technological uncertainty, inflation and the fall in models such as the diesel motor vehicle. All this means that the car is no longer a priority for Spanish people. And if it is a priority, they will probably have other alternatives to the electric car,” said Palomera, who mentioned that we are facing a “critical Spanish market, with an aging motor vehicle fleet, no incentives to buy cars, and some industries that have been neglected.” 

To all this, in the director’s opinion, it must be added that, with factories totally focused on the model’s combustion system, the transformation to 100% electric production in Spain can take too long, since “the product lifecycle from one model to the next is 9 years." And, therefore, car sales will not increase. 

At the close of the discussion, the CEO of SEAT and Cupra was very optimistic about the progress of the sub-premium brand, Cupra, in northern Europe. And he predicts a future of the car sales business completely guided by data control, of both future users and current customers. 

The rector of the University, Dr Alfonso Méndiz, closed the breakfast with a word of thanks to the guest speaker and to the Alumni & Careers department, organiser of the Alumni Breakfast Club.