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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Amid uncertainty over US tariff policy, vehicle production in Mexico, as well as exports, slowed down during 2025 compared to 2024, the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (Inegi) announced this Friday .

During the period January-December of last year, three million 953 thousand 494 units were produced , which represented a decrease of 0.9% compared to the same cycle of 2024, when three million 989 thousand 483 vehicles were manufactured, according to the Administrative Registry of the Automotive Industry of Light Vehicles (RAIAVL).

During that period, light trucks accounted for 77.2%, with  3,052,163 units manufactured in Mexican plants ; the remainder (22.8%) corresponded to the production of automobiles, with 901,331 units.

When reviewing the brands with the highest growth, in 2025, Toyota stood out in its production with an increase of 26.6%, adding 310,152 units compared to 245,007 in 2024.

Ford followed  , with a 7.9% increase, reaching 417,280 units manufactured last year. KIA registered a 6.4%  increase   in the 2025 cumulative total, with 288,100 vehicles produced.

Meanwhile, in December 2025, car manufacturing in Mexico was 243,961 units , an increase of 8.5% compared to the same month in 2024, when 224,943 vehicles were manufactured.

Exports decline

Vehicle exports suffered from the tariff effects imposed by the United States, as shipments of units manufactured in Mexico abroad fell 2.7% compared to 2024, with three million 385 thousand 785 vehicles.

In January-December of last year,  the United States was the main destination for light vehicle exports, with 78.4%, or 2,653,897 units; followed by Canada , with 376,251 units, which represented 11.1% of shipments abroad.

Among the brands that registered the highest exports during 2025 were Toyota, with a 30.1% increase compared to 2024, totaling 318,812 vehicles. Ford followed, with an 11.4% increase, exporting 423,283 cars, and KIA, with a 5.4% increase, totaling 217,440 exported cars.

In the last month of 2025, vehicle exports totaled 227,262 cars , a decrease of 14.5% compared to 2024, when 265,954 units were shipped abroad.

The decline recorded in 2025 in terms of vehicle production and exports shows an adjustment of both indicators in a context marked by trade uncertainty, changes in demand and consumption, as well as the protectionist policy of the United States, which has moved the conditions of world trade.

It also reflects a less dynamic end to 2025 compared to the performance that the Mexican automotive industry maintained in 2024.

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Driven by the manufacture of automobiles and trucks, the  Global Manufacturing Export Value Added (GVAEMG) 2024  reached an amount of  3.64 trillion pesos , a figure that represented  17.9%  of the total value of production of the manufacturing industry as a whole, reported the  National Institute of Statistics and Geography (Inegi) .

The agency detailed that the sectors that contributed most to the 2024 VAEMG were  automobile and truck production  (  26.9% ),  automotive parts manufacturing  (  18.6% ), and  computer and peripheral equipment manufacturing  (  3.8%) . Meanwhile, the manufacture of other electrical equipment and accessories contributed 1.6% .

The Inegi emphasized that, together, these activities contributed  67.3%  of the VAEMG during 2024, which confirmed the concentration of value in strategic sectors.

In terms of production, global manufacturing accounted for 40.4% of total manufacturing output; while domestic intermediate consumption was 33.3% of VAEMG.

Meanwhile, manufacturing activities involved in global value chains generated  2,310,299 paid jobs , equivalent to 30.6% of total manufacturing employment. This level was 3.7% lower compared to 2023.

The three branches with the largest share were the manufacture of parts for motor vehicles with 19.5%; the manufacture of non-electronic equipment and disposable material for medical, dental and laboratory use, and ophthalmic articles with 7.4%; and the manufacture of electronic components with 6.1 percent.

“The VAEMG is the value that the national economy adds to export products that are part of a global manufacturing production process. It also represents the value of the national content that manufactured goods export in global value chains,” Inegi emphasized.

In the lead-up to the next review of the  United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) , scheduled for 2026, these figures take on relevance, since various industries involved in global value chains will be part of the dialogue tables of the trilateral trade agreement, something that takes on relevance in a context where the imposition of tariffs has changed the rules of trade in the world.

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