According to statistics from the National Port System of the Secretariat of the Navy (Semar) , in March 2026 the movement of vehicles through Mexican ports fell by 3.5% compared to the same month in 2025 with 184,829 units, thus failing to recover from the decrease recorded last February, when it fell 20.9% year-on-year.
Although some ports reported declines in car traffic in the third month of the year, the port of Veracruz showed a 33.2% increase compared to March 2025, handling 82,185 units. Tuxpan, also in Veracruz, saw a 15.8% increase, with 3,804 units moved during the period, according to an analysis by T21 Business Intelligence .
In contrast, the port of Mazatlán, in Sinaloa, handled 8,778 units in March 2026, 46.6% less than in the third month of 2025 ; Altamira, in Tamaulipas, fell 27.1% with 38,149 vehicles moved; while the port of Lázaro Cárdenas, in Michoacán, declined 8.6% with the movement of 51,913 units in the reference period.
The negative figures recorded by several ports impacted the cumulative total for January-March 2026. The first quarter of the year saw a 4% contraction compared to the same period in 2025, with 441,765 vehicles handled . During the period, the port of Veracruz was the only one with positive numbers, reporting a 22.3% year-on-year increase with 171,598 units handled.
Conversely, Tuxpan saw a 24.7% drop in the cumulative total for the first three months of 2026 compared to the same period last year , with 6,637 vehicles moved. Altamira declined 19.1% with 89,461 units; and Lázaro Cárdenas decreased by 16%, moving 133,427 cars.
Meanwhile, Mazatlán experienced a slight contraction of 0.5% in the accumulated January-March 2026 period compared to the same period in 2025, operating 40,642 units.
Regarding participation in March 2026, Veracruz accounted for 44% of vehicles mobilized ; Lázaro Cárdenas had 28%, Altamira 21%, Mazatlán 5% and Tuxpan 2%.
Despite the drop in vehicle traffic at the country’s ports in March 2026, car production in Mexico showed improvement during the third month of the year.
According to figures from the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (Inegi) , 343,520 light vehicles were manufactured in March 2026 , representing a 2.5 percent year-on-year increase. Additionally, 310,205 vehicles were exported, a 4.2 percent increase compared to the same month in 2025.
Meanwhile, in the first quarter of 2026, 969,294 units were manufactured in Mexican plants , a 0.5% increase compared to the same period last year. During the January-March period of this year, 795,631 units were exported, a 2.5% increase over the same period in 2025.
Comment and follow us on LinkedIn: @GrupoT21
