The Mexican automotive industry fell into a slump again in its production and export of vehicles during October 2026, according to the Administrative Registry of the Automotive Industry of Light Vehicles (RAIAVL), published by the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (Inegi) .
In the tenth month of the year, manufacturing at the plants installed in Mexico was 302,803 automobiles , a decrease of 17.7% compared to the 367,928 units manufactured in October 2025.
In the January-October period, production stood at 3,254,062 units , a drop of 3.95% compared to the 3,387,934 cars registered in the same period last year.
By vehicle type, light trucks accounted for the majority of domestic production, with 2,560,201 units , equivalent to 78.7% of the total. Passenger cars represented 21.3% with 693,861 units.
In the first 10 months of 2026, the automakers that stood out in production were Stellantis , with a 12.6% increase, totaling 368,432 units compared to 327,282 vehicles produced during the same period last year. Volkswagen also showed strong manufacturing results with a 10.5% increase, reaching 314,370 units compared to 284,582 during the same period in 2025.
Conversely, Nissan’s production fell 24.3% during January-October of this year. Mazda’s decreased by 14.3%, and Ford Motor’s declined by 3.1% year-on-year.
Exports of vehicles manufactured in Mexico totaled 258,137 units in October 2026, a decrease of 17.85% compared to the 314,227 cars exported in the tenth month of 2025.
During the January-October period, 2,786,760 units were placed in international markets, a decrease of 3.28% compared to the 2,881,399 vehicles exported in the same period last year.
The United States remained the top destination for Mexican automotive exports during the period, receiving 2,134,474 units , representing 76.6% of the total. Canada ranked second with 338,401 vehicles (12.1%), followed by Germany with 75,507 units (2.7%).
By automaker, Nissan saw a 25.9% decrease in exports during the first 10 months of 2016, with 266,465 units. Ford Motor declined 11.9% to 314,694 vehicles, while General Motors experienced a 3.9% drop to 669,981 units.
Conversely, Stellantis increased its exports by 24.6%, reaching 347,844 vehicles during the period, while Volkswagen advanced 13.2% with 258,234 units. KIA also reported growth of 7.9% with 197,660 cars shipped abroad.
The October result represented a more pronounced decline compared to September, when light vehicle production fell 15.13% and exports declined 11.85% year-on-year.
Thus, the figures for the tenth month of 2026 place the Mexican automotive industry in negative territory towards the end of the year with a contraction in two of its most important indicators.
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