Vehicle production in Mexico totaled 303,980 units in January 2026, representing a 2.7% drop  compared to the same month in 2025, when 312,257 cars were manufactured in the country, the  National Institute of Statistics and Geography (Inegi) reported on Tuesday .

According to the Administrative Registry of the Automotive Industry of Light Vehicles (RAIAVL), of the total manufactured in the first month of the year, light trucks represented 78.5%, with 238,495 units , while the rest corresponded to the manufacture of automobiles, with 65,485.

Last January, the brands that stood out in their production in Mexican plants were Volkswagen with an increase of  66.4%,  adding 34,580 units compared to 20,780 in the same cycle of 2025.

General Motors also showed good results in terms of its manufacturing, with a 21.9% increase in the first month of this year with 73,260 units compared to the 60,113 vehicles produced in the same period last year.

Similarly,  Ford recorded positive figures in its production with an increase of 8.3%, totaling 35,292 units  in January 2026 compared to the same month in 2025, when it manufactured 32,591 vehicles.

Exports are progressing

Export trends moved in the opposite direction to vehicle production during the first month of 2026. Specifically, shipments of light vehicles manufactured in Mexico to other countries in January totaled 224,528 units, representing a 2.3% increase  compared to the same month in 2025.

During the period,  the United States was the main destination for light vehicle exports with 73.2% , totaling 164,296 units, followed by  Canada  with 30,155 cars, which represented 13.4% of shipments abroad.

Among the brands with the highest exports in the first month of this year was General Motors, with a 19.8% increase compared to the same period in 2015, totaling 58,457 vehicles. KIA followed with a 15% increase, shipping 19,968 units abroad during that period.

According to the results of the first month of the Mexican automotive industry, the United States remains the main buyer of vehicles manufactured in Mexico, despite the fact that the president of the northern neighbor, Donald Trump, has reiterated that he does not want cars that are manufactured in Mexico.

Meanwhile, Canada is the second largest destination for Mexican vehicle exports, reflecting the level of integration in the automotive sector of the trading partners of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) .

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According to various media, manufacturers Honda and Nissan are reportedly preparing for a possible merger , with both firms seeking closer collaboration to pool their resources and strengthen their position in the global automotive industry , and confront electric car manufacturers.

The two major Japanese automakers are expected to operate under a joint parent company , with plans to sign a memorandum of understanding to discuss shared equity stakes in the new merged entity.

In Mexico, both firms have shown optimal performance, according to figures from the Administrative Registry of the Light Vehicle Automotive Industry (RAIAVL) of the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (Inegi) .

So far this year, the industry established in Mexico has exported 3,213,132 units , of which 213,673 vehicles have been of the Honda brand, representing 6.6% of the share. Meanwhile, Nissan has sent 421,407 units abroad, equivalent to 13.1 percent. The share of both brands in exports is 19.8 percent.

Sentra is Nissan’s most exported vehicle, with 187,918 units, and the HR-V is Honda’s most exported vehicle, with 156,665 units, in the cumulative period from January to November 2024.

So far in 2024, car sales total 1,350,362 vehicles, of which 38,418 are from Honda and 229,883 from Nissan.

The Versa is Nissan’s best-selling vehicle with 83,551 units and the CR-V is Honda’s best-selling SUV with 10,746.

In terms of production, so far in 2024 the industry has added 3,764,490 vehicles , of which 165,349 were from Honda, while Nissan contributed 636,145 units.

The share of both brands in this category was 20.2%, with 759,377 units produced. Nissan’s most manufactured vehicle was the Sentra , with 191,480 cars produced in the period.

The purpose of this merger would be aimed at confronting Chinese manufacturers of electric vehicles and the American firm Tesla, who have an advantage in this market worldwide, according to several media outlets referring to the Japanese media Nikkei .

According to the Mexican Automotive Industry Association (AMIA) , Honda has six plants: two for vehicles, with an annual production capacity of 384,290 units ; as well as two for engines and two for transmissions.

Nissan has three plants, where it manufactures around 750,108 vehicles a year. It also has a facility where it manufactures engines, where it produces 747,000 units annually.

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From January to November 2024, the export of light vehicles manufactured in Mexico was three million 213 thousand 132 units, which represented an increase of 6.5% compared to the same period in 2023, the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (Inegi) announced this Friday .

According to information from the  Administrative Registry of the Light Vehicle Automotive Industry (RAIAVL) , in November of this year alone, 289,309 automobiles were sent abroad  , which meant an increase of 2.85% over the same month last year.

The brands that registered the highest exports in the first 11 months of the year were  Honda , with an increase of  52.4% compared to the same period last year. Nissan  followed   with an increase in its shipments of 26.8% , and General Motors with an increase of 17.6% in that period.

Automotive production

Inegi also announced that the  production of light vehicles reached 3,764,490 units in the period January-November 2024, which represented an increase of 5.65% compared to the same period in 2023. At an annual rate, car manufacturing had a variation of 6.74% with 351,535 units assembled last November.

Of the total manufactured in the first 11 months of the year,  76.1% corresponded to  light trucks , which meant two million 866 thousand 239 units produced, while automobile manufacturing accumulated 23.9% in that period with 898 thousand 251 cars.

With an increase of  22.4%  from January to November of this year,  General Motors  stood out in its national production compared to the same period in 2023, while Honda reported an increase of  17.9%  in that period, and Volkswagen of 10.5 percent .

With these figures, both exports and production of the Mexican automotive industry are making progress in recovering to pre-pandemic levels.

Thus, the shipment of light vehicles abroad added four months of growth and this November was ranked as the eleventh best month compared to November 2022 and 2023.

Meanwhile, light automobile manufacturing in Mexico recorded its eighth consecutive increase and the eleventh month of 2024 has had the best performance for a November in the last three years.

It should be remembered that on November 5, the  decree regulating the definitive importation of used vehicles came into force , which was published by the  Ministry of Economy  in the  Official Gazette of the Federation (DOF) .

In response, the  Mexican Association of Automobile Distributors (AMDA)  stated that this decree “is the appropriate mechanism to have a legal and orderly trade in used units,” although it also called on the federal government to end the regularization of imported used vehicles, colloquially known as “chocolate cars,” which was until September 30, 2026 , which affects this industry.

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The organization detailed that the branches that contributed the most to VAEMG 2023 were the production of automobiles and trucks with 27.9% , manufacturing of parts for motor vehicles with 18.3% , and manufacturing of computers and peripheral equipment with 3.9 percent .

This was followed by the manufacture of non-electronic equipment and disposable medical, dental and laboratory materials, and ophthalmic articles; audio and video equipment; electronic components; as well as the non-ferrous metals industry, except aluminum; beverages; the production of equipment for the generation and distribution of electric energy, and other electrical equipment and accessories.

Inegi stressed that together, these activities contributed 67.6% of VAEMG during 2023.

In turn, manufacturing activities involved in global value chains generated 30.6% of the jobs reported by the manufacturing industry as a whole, which represented a level higher by 1.6% compared to 2022.

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

With a view to the review of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (T-MEC) in 2026, these figures become relevant since various industries involved in global value chains will be in the discussion of the teams that make up this trilateral trade agreement.

The president-elect of the United States, Donald Trump , has already threatened to impose 25% tariffs on Mexico, and according to specialists, one of the industries in our country that would be most affected would be the automotive industry, whose contribution to VAEMG 2023 was the most important, according to Inegi.

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Global vehicle production is clearly recovering following the impact of the Covid pandemic.

Gerardo Gómez Gálvez, senior director & country manager Mexico at JD Power , highlighted that production of 89.8 million units is projected for 2024 on a global scale , and although growth towards 100 million was expected earlier, it is now estimated that it will not arrive until 2032, mainly due to the long-term effects of the pandemic.

In Mexico, according to JD Power estimates, production shows a positive trend, having reached 3.4 million vehicles in its latest report for the first 10 months of the year.

At the 10th edition of Automotive Logistics & Supply Chain Mexico , Gómez Gálvez said that the country’s production capacity could reach 5.8 million, which is “a sign of the potential to attract investments from Chinese and American brands” in the region.

In this sense, according to JD Power, by 2030, 60% of vehicle sales worldwide will be hybrid or electric .

“This will be driven primarily by the development of favorable legislation and greater incentives in markets such as China, the United States and Europe,” said the executive.

He stressed that in Mexico, the penetration of hybrid and electric vehicles is still low, representing only 8% of sales in 2024.

Despite a projected growth of 18% by 2030 , factors such as infrastructure and high prices remain significant barriers to faster adoption in the country, said Gerardo Gómez.

He also highlighted the growth of Chinese brands that manufacture hybrid and electric vehicles in the region, as they have rapidly gained ground, reaching 10% of the Mexican market share and doubling their sales in the last year.

“These brands face challenges in terms of customer satisfaction and perceived quality. JD Power studies indicate that consumers in Mexico value both value for money and after-sales experience, which represents a key opportunity for Chinese brands seeking to establish themselves in the country,” he said.

Gómez Gálvez added that this is happening in a context in which the generational change in consumer expectations demands more personalized shopping and service experiences.

Along these lines, Gómez Gálvez stressed that logistics and timely delivery are essential for the customer’s perception of quality.

“Transparency in vehicle tracking is something that consumers value highly. The ability to resolve logistics issues before they impact the customer experience will be essential for brands that want to be successful in the long term,” he said.

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