Light vehicle production in Mexico in August 2025 showed negative figures, while unit exports accelerated in their annual measurement, despite uncertainty over tariffs in the United States, according to the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI) .

In the eighth month of the year, automobile manufacturing in Mexico totaled 349,856 units , representing a 0.8% drop compared to the same month in 2024, when 352,615 cars were manufactured, according to the Administrative Registry of the Light Vehicle Automotive Industry (RAIAVL) .

Meanwhile, in the first eight months of 2025, 2,666,029 units were produced , an increase of just 0.5% compared to the same period last year.

Of the total manufactured between January and August of this year, light trucks accounted for  77.2% , with  2,058,105 units ; the remainder was automobile production, with  607,924 vehicles .

Toyota showed a 40.5% growth in its production, adding 210,737 units compared to 149,955 in the same period in 2024. It was followed by KIA , with an increase of 9.2%, Ford with 6.3% and General Motors with a rise of 1.8% in the accumulated year.

Exports accelerate

Exports of light vehicles manufactured in Mexico in August 2025 totaled  296,796 units , an annual increase of  1.41%  ; however, in the January-August period, shipments abroad fell  1.02% , with 2,252,578 vehicles exported.

The United States remained the leading buyer of Mexican-made cars during the period, with 1,779,044 units , representing a 79 percent share. Canada followed with 250,822 cars, representing 11.1 percent of shipments abroad.

Among the brands with the most exports in the first eight months of the year are Toyota, with a  40.8% increase  over the same period in 2024. It was followed by Ford with a  9.7% increase , and KIA with a  9.5% increase .

On September 4, INEGI reported that light vehicle sales in Mexico reached 124,167 units in August, a 3% annual drop. This figure was later adjusted to 124,180 vehicles, reflecting the same variation.

Figures released by INEGI on Tuesday show mixed results in terms of production—which fell after two consecutive annual increases—and vehicle exports, stemming from the protectionist policies of the United States. The country remains the main buyer of cars manufactured in Mexico, despite the fact that Donald Trump, President of the United States, has expressed his rejection of Mexican-made cars.

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Changes to tariff policies around the world have had an impact on the Mexican automotive industry, whose production in May 2025 reached 358,209 units , a decrease of 2.03% compared to the same month in 2024, when 365,644 vehicles were manufactured, according to figures from the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (Inegi) , published this Monday.

From January to May of this year, one million 645 thousand 673 automobiles were manufactured  , which represented a reduction of 0.5%  compared to the same period in 2024, according to the  Administrative Registry of the Light Vehicle Automotive Industry (RAIAVL) .

According to the report, of the total manufactured in the first five months of 2025, light trucks represented  76.6% , with  1,259,982 units , while the remainder corresponded to automobile production, with  385,691 cars .

During the period, Toyota  stood out in its domestic production with a  63.4%  increase , adding  133,174 units  compared to  81,522  in the same period last year.

KIA follows with a 13.8%  increase  year-to-date with  117,110 units  compared to the 102,950  cars  produced in the same cycle in 2024.

Car exports also decrease

In May 2025, exports of light vehicles manufactured in Mexico amounted to  301,112 units , representing a  2.88%  annual drop.

In the year-to-date, shipments abroad also showed a decrease of  6.28% , with  1,334,667 cars exported , compared to  1,424,088  in the same period in 2024.

In January-May 2025,  the United States  was the main destination for light vehicle exports, with  80.9%  reaching 1,079,690 units , followed by  Canada  with  136,028  cars , which represented  10.2%  of shipments abroad.

Among the brands that registered the most exports in the year-to-date are Toyota, with a 72% increase  over the same period in 2024. It is followed by KIA with a  14% increase , and Ford with a 7.2% increase .

Despite U.S. President Donald Trump’s repeated statements that he does not want cars manufactured in Mexico, the United States remains the largest buyer of Mexican-made vehicles.

In this context, Mexico’s automotive industry has been affected by its northern neighbor’s tariff policy, which has led to a decline in automobile exports and manufacturing figures last May.

There have even been repercussions in the domestic market, as vehicle sales have also declined. In the fifth month of the year, 119,959 units were sold , representing a 0.4% annual decline , marking the second month with negative figures for vehicle sales in Mexico.

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This represents the highest volume recorded for a similar period since  2017 , when more than 137,000 units were sold , representing a historic record for the third month of the year.

The agency also reported that during the January-March period of this year, car sales reached  365,017 units , a  3.3% increase  compared to the same period in 2024.

Nissan  with  17.9%  of the market, followed by  General Motors  with  13.5% ,  Volkswagen  with  11.6%  and  Toyota  with  8.2% , stood out among the brands with the best performance in the year to date , revealed in their report the  Mexican Association of Automobile Distributors (AMDA)  and the  Mexican Association of the Automotive Industry (AMIA) .

Brands such as Chirey , Isuzu , and MG Motor , showed declines in their sales during March 2025, with decreases of 14.2%, 48.6% and 20.1%, respectively, against the placements of the same month last year.

As for  luxury brands , in the third month of the year BMW registered an increase of 11%, Acura of 3.1%, and Mercedes-Benz of 9.3 percent, compared to March 2024.

According to figures from Inegi, sales of light vehicles reached their highest level in eight years last March .

This increase in vehicle sales in the third month of 2025 comes in a context of uncertainty due to the tariff policy imposed by the President of the United States, Donald Trump , by charging a 25% rate on cars imported by the United States, as well as the imposition of reciprocal taxes on several countries around the world, announced on April 2.

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