The heavy vehicle industry suffered setbacks during February 2025, both in production and in exports and sales, compared to the same month last year, according to information from the Mexican Association of Automotive Distributors (AMDA) and the National Association of Bus, Truck and Tractor Producers (ANPACT) , with figures from the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (Inegi) .
According to the Administrative Registry of the Heavy Vehicle Automotive Industry (RAIAVP) , 13,629 units were manufactured in the second month of 2025 , which represented a decrease of 27.5% compared to the same month in 2024, when 18,792 units were manufactured .
“These were mostly cargo units, with 13,336 and 293 passenger units. This represents a 26.4% decrease, again referring to cargo, and a 56% decrease in passenger units, for a total reduction of 27.5%,” explained Rogelio Arzate, executive president of ANPACT, at a press conference.
In the January-February period, 27,737 heavy vehicles were manufactured , which represented a 19.3% decrease compared to the same period in 2024, Arzate reported.
Of this accumulated total, 98% was in the cargo segment with 27,175 units , while the rest was passenger with 562 units .
During this period, Kenworth was the automaker that showed the best performance in its manufacturing, with an increase of 2.3% compared to the same cycle in 2024.
Export on the same route
Inegi also announced that the export of heavy vehicles manufactured in Mexico was 11,535 units , which represented a drop of 23.9% in February 2025 compared to the same month in 2024, when 15,167 vehicles were sent abroad .
Meanwhile, in the first two months of this year, 22,520 heavy vehicles were exported, which meant a decrease of 16.8% compared to the same period in 2024.
Rogelio Arzate explained that the United States was the main destination for heavy vehicle exports, with 95.9% (21,588 units) , followed by Canada with 668 units , which represented 3% of shipments abroad.
Kenworth was the brand that registered the highest exports in the second month of this year, with an increase of 2.5% over the same month last year, according to figures from Inegi.
Arzate explained that one issue of concern is the importation of used vehicles, which has decreased so far this year.
“So far in 2025, we’ve seen a reduction of around 22.4% compared to 2024. The same period in the first two months of 2,706 units in January and February 2024 is now down to 2,100 units,” he noted.
Sales with a different perspective
Regarding the sale of heavy vehicles, Guillermo Rosales , executive president of AMDA, explained that the sector reached 3,772 heavy units at retail in February 2025, which represented a drop of 18.5% compared to February 2024.
“If we compare the figures with 2023, two years ago, we see that the figures for our first two months are not that far off; they are even slightly higher than the first two months of 2023 and are more in line with the trend records for years that were considered positive, except for the very good year 2024, which set a record for sales of heavy commercial vehicles in the Mexican market,” Rosales explained at a conference.
He considered that this behavior was due to various factors, such as a slowdown in the Mexican economy, as well as the uncertainty generated by the threat of tariffs from United States President Donald Trump .
Meanwhile, Arzate stated that wholesale sales totaled 2,526 units , which represented a 44.5% drop compared to the second month of last year.
“In February, we observed a decline in both the freight and passenger segments. Freight traffic decreased by around 46.3%, and passenger traffic decreased by 35% compared to 2024. Intercity buses, also a significant number, grew by 135.5%,” he noted.
Regarding the threat of tariffs by the United States government on various Mexican products, he indicated that “we believe that trade tariffs do not contribute to the development of trade between both countries. This trade relationship must continue to promote the principles of cooperation, free competition, complementarity and competitiveness of the heavy vehicle automotive industry, an industry that is fully integrated both in production and in the supply chain. Therefore, we see dialogue between nations, both governments and representatives of the productive sector, as positive and necessary.”
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