After a slowdown last May, the Mexican automotive industry is beginning to show signs of recovery. In June 2025, both vehicle production and exports performed optimally despite uncertainty surrounding global tariff policies, although shipments abroad stumbled year-to-date.
In the sixth month of the year , 361,047 light vehicles were manufactured in Mexico , which represented an increase of 4.9% compared to June 2024, when 344,206 units were manufactured, according to figures from the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (Inegi) , published this Monday.
The increase in manufacturing in June contrasts with the declines of the previous two months and adds to the increase recorded in March, when it grew 12.1% year-over-year.
Meanwhile, in the first half of the year, two million 006 thousand 720 automobiles were produced , an increase of 0.5% compared to the same period last year, according to the Administrative Registry of the Light Vehicle Automotive Industry (RAIAVL) .
Of the total manufactured from January to June 2025, light trucks accounted for 76.8% , with 1,540,450 units ; the remainder was automobile production, with 466,270 vehicles .
During the period, Toyota stood out in its domestic production with a 55.2% increase , adding 160,282 units compared to 103,264 during the same period last year.
JAC followed , with a 21.2% increase to 14,660 units manufactured in the aforementioned cycle. KIA registered a 15.5% increase for the year to date, with 143,080 vehicles .
Exports grow in June, but cumulative exports fall
In June 2025, the export of light vehicles manufactured in Mexico was 331,517 units , an increase of 14% at an annual rate, however, in the January-June period, shipments abroad fell 2.8%, with one million 666,184vehicles exported, compared to one million 714,794 units in the same period of 2024.
In the first half of the year, the United States was the main destination for light vehicle exports, accounting for 79.7% of total exports, reaching 1,327,892 units . Canada followed with 181,060 vehicles, representing 10.9% of all exports.
Although US President Donald Trump has repeatedly stated that he does not want cars manufactured in Mexico, the United States remains the main buyer of Mexican-made vehicles.
Among the brands that registered the most exports in the first half of the year were Toyota, with a 58.6% increase over the same period in 2024. It was followed by KIA, with an increase of 15.2% , and Ford with an increase of 7.6 percent .
The Mexican automotive industry represents nearly 4% of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and 20.5% of manufacturing GDP, according to the Mexican Automotive Industry Association (AMIA) , so the June rebound represents a “respite” for the country’s economy, which has been hit hard by tariffs imposed by the United States.
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