Amid uncertainty over U.S. tariff policy, vehicle production in Mexico reached 326,069 units in April 2025, a 9.07% drop compared to the same month in 2024, the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI) reported Friday .
From January to April of this year , one million 299 thousand 554 automobiles were manufactured , which represented a variation of 0.9% compared to the same period in 2024, according to the Administrative Registry of the Light Vehicle Automotive Industry (RAIAVL) .
Of the total manufactured in the first four months of 2025, light trucks accounted for 76.6% , with 995,144 units , while the remainder corresponded to automobile production, with 304,410 cars .
Toyota excelled in its domestic production during the reference period, with an 82.9% increase to 105,720 units compared to 57,790 in the same cycle in 2024.
KIA also showed good results in terms of its manufacturing, with a 15.6% increase in the first four months of 2025 with 91,810 units compared to the 79,450 cars produced in the same period last year.
Likewise, Ford had positive numbers in its production, with a rise of 10.2% reaching 141,237 units in January-April 2025 compared to the first four months of 2024, when it manufactured 128,188 vehicles .
Exports down
Exports of light vehicles manufactured in Mexico during April 2025 amounted to 256,953 units , representing a 10.88% annual drop.
Year-to-date, shipments abroad also showed a decrease of 7.29% , with 1,032,819 cars exported , compared to 1,114,037 in the same period in 2024.
In January-April 2025, the United States was the main destination for light vehicle exports, with 81.4% reaching 840,790 units , followed by Canada with 97,280 cars , which represented 9.4% of shipments abroad.
Among the brands that registered the highest exports in the first four months of this year were Toyota, with an 87.8% increase over the same period in 2024, reaching 101,928 vehicles. KIA followed, with a 13.7% increase, exporting 67,730 cars abroad , and Ford, with a 7.2% increase , exporting 134,204 vehicles during the same period.
The United States remains the main buyer of vehicles manufactured in Mexico, despite the fact that US President Donald Trump has reiterated that he does not want cars manufactured in Mexico in his northern neighbor.
It’s worth remembering that a 25% tariff has been applied to imported cars from the United States since April 3rd , affecting Mexico and Canada, its main North American trading partners. However, Trump himself established some measures for vehicle manufacturers to ease the tariff burden, such as providing automakers with credits for up to 15% of the value of cars assembled in the United States.
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