The momentum gained by the entry of new vehicles through Mexican Pacific ports lost steam in 2026. With higher tariffs on cars originating from countries without trade agreements with Mexico and after the advance of imports by automakers in 2025, that coast received 425,660 units between January and August, a decrease of 6.3% compared to the same period of the previous year.
Figures from the Ports and Merchant Marine Unit (UPMM) , part of the Mexican Navy (Semar) , show that the contraction was concentrated in Mazatlán and Lázaro Cárdenas , two entry points for vehicles from Asia. Both ports saw a reduction of 30,787 imported units, partially offset by an interoceanic transit operation in Salina Cruz.
The change occurs under a new tariff structure. The decree published on December 29, 2025, in the Official Gazette of the Federation (DOF) , effective since January 1, 2026, established a 50% tariff on various categories of automobiles , including new electric vehicles. The reform encompassed products originating from countries with which Mexico does not have trade agreements, including China.
Its impact must be analyzed by country of origin and the applicable treatment for each transaction, since the Asian flow also includes vehicles from American, Japanese, and other manufacturers. Lázaro Cárdenas and Mazatlán are the main entry points for both Chinese brands and vehicles from other manufacturers produced in Asia.
In Mazatlán, imports fell from 108,500 to 90,251 vehicles, a 16.8% decrease, the most pronounced among the main Pacific ports . Lázaro Cárdenas, meanwhile, received 332,409 units, compared to 344,947 the previous year, a 3.6% reduction.
Beyond the increased cost associated with the new tariffs, the adjustment is also related to logistical decisions made before their entry into force: automakers brought forward imports during 2025 to bring vehicles into the country under the previous tariff conditions.
Foreign trade data also show a reduction in vehicle purchases from China. Figures from the Ministry of Economy demonstrate that these imports decreased by 31.1% in the first half of 2026, to 158,571 units . Although this data covers a different period and period than port statistics, it provides further evidence of the slowdown in this flow.
In the Pacific region, the combined import and export movement fell 5.4%, from 582,064 to 550,907 vehicles . Imports accounted for 92.1% of this net reduction, while exports decreased 1.9% to 125,247 units. The composition of the decline places the main pressure on this region’s import business.
However, the trend was not uniform across the country. Imports through the Gulf-Caribbean region increased by 7.3%, reaching 199,468 vehicles, driven by Veracruz, where imports rose from 175,255 to 193,636 units, a growth of 10.5%.
This progress helped Veracruz maintain its national leadership in total vehicle traffic, with 513,490 units and a 5.3 percent increase. However, its recovery still left it below the 614,026 vehicles it moved in January-August 2023.
In contrast, Altamira registered the largest absolute loss among the country’s ports , falling from 306,440 to 271,288 vehicles, a contraction of 11.5 percent. In this case, the reduction was concentrated in exports, which decreased from 299,031 to 265,456 units, a trend that should be distinguished from the impact of Mexican tariffs on imports.
The national result combined both pressures. Mexican ports handled 1,364,178 vehicles in deep-sea traffic during January-August 2016, 2.8% less than a year earlier. Imports decreased 2.4% to 625,128 units, while exports fell 3.2% to 739,050.
With this, port traffic accumulated two consecutive declines for that period, after reaching 1,517,401 units in 2024, the highest volume of the shared series from 2021 to 2026. Compared to that level, the most recent record was 10.1% lower; exports were 20% below , while imports exceeded it by 5.3 percent.
Within this adjustment, Salina Cruz exhibited a particular dynamic . Its vehicle traffic increased from 900 to 3,000 vehicles, but these correspond to an operation with a final destination in the United States. T21 documented in mid-July of this year that the Hyundai Glovis units —the logistics arm of Hyundai and KIA—arrived from Masan, South Korea, and crossed by rail to Coatzacoalcos to continue on to Brunswick and Philadelphia.
The volumes match the three thousand units that UPMM records as exports in Coatzacoalcos. This correspondence points to the same flow accounted for in both maritime entry and exit, so the increase reflects logistical activity of the Interoceanic Corridor of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec (CIIT) , without implying greater absorption of vehicles by the Mexican market.
The port map thus shows an adjustment with different causes and scopes . Higher tariffs and anticipated imports help explain the moderation in the Pacific, while the growth in Veracruz, the decline in exports from Altamira, and transit through the CIIT reveal that national evolution also depends on the composition of flows and the routes used.
Comment and follow us on LinkedIn: @Enrique Duarte Rionda / @GrupoT21
