Nissan Recognizes Female Talent Behind the Sentra

In an effort to highlight female talent within Mexico’s automotive industry, Nissan held the 2026 edition of Women on Wheels, an event at which it recognized Ileana López, the first woman in the Americas to lead the development and launch of a vehicle for the Japanese brand.

A mechatronics engineer by training, Ileana took on the role of Seisan Shutan (Production Manager) for the program of one of the brand’s most popular models, the new Nissan Sentra, for which she was responsible from the initial preparations through to its launch into production at the Aguascalientes plant, from where it is now exported to more than 20 countries.

For the development of the ninth generation of the iconic compact sedan, Ileana spent over a year coordinating multidisciplinary teams responsible for key processes such as prototype validation, production equipment integration, and alignment with the company’s global quality standards.

Her career at Nissan began at NISTEC Toluca, one of the brand’s leading global research and development centers, where she participated in engineering and technical validation projects.

She later joined the manufacturing division, where she gained experience in the industrial preparation of new models. That journey led her to take on responsibility for the complete development of a vehicle.

As part of the Sentra 2026 project, she worked for six months in Japan alongside global engineering teams. Her work focused on preparing the installation of production equipment for the Aguascalientes plant and ensuring compliance with the company’s technical standards.

During this process, she led 14 project leaders and coordinated the work of more than 90 specialists, including the development of the prototype at the Global Product Engineering Center (GPEC) in Japan.

Ileana explained that leading the entire development of a vehicle is one of the greatest challenges in automotive engineering, as it is a responsibility that requires preparation, teamwork, and trust in the talent of those involved in the project.

“It also shows that more and more women are able to take on these challenges and blaze a trail within the industry,” she added.