Automotive Production and Exports Declined in April

With the entry into force of the tariffs imposed by the United States on automotive imports at the beginning of April, several assembly plants in Mexico reduced their activity, which resulted in a 9% decline in the volume of production during the fourth month of the year, while exports fell by 10.9%.

During the period in question, automotive companies established in Mexico produced 326 thousand vehicles and light trucks, of which 256 thousand 953 units were exported, mainly to the U.S. market.

It is worth mentioning that, as in the case of domestic sales, the Easter holiday period also had a significant impact on the figures, since many manufacturing centers use these dates to carry out technical shutdowns.

The accumulated production volume for the first four months of 2025 is 1,299,554 units, which represents a minimal increase of 0.94% with respect to last year's figure. Exports totaled one million 32 thousand 819 units, which is equal to a decline of 7.3%.

The downward trend did not affect all plants or all models, but there are cases where the drops are considerable. Such is the case of BMW, which saw its production volume drop 27% while its exports fell 32.6%.

At Stellantis, the reduction was even greater, 46.7%, with a production volume of 21 thousand units. It is noteworthy that the multinational automaker produced only 89 units of the Wagoneer S electric SUV in April, while last March the volume was 3 thousand units.

Another relevant fact in the Stellantis report is that in April the first new generation Ram 1500 pickups began production at the Saltillo plant. According to the most recent figures from Inegi's Administrative Registry of the Light Vehicle Automotive Industry, a batch of 66 units was produced.

Ford reported the production of 38,500 units, a positive difference of just over one hundred vehicles with respect to last year's result. Volume declines of 3% and 9% for the Bronco Sport and Maverick, respectively, were offset by an increase of 43% in the Mustang Mach-E.

The blue oval brand also recorded a 1% increase in exports in April, while the cumulative figure for the first four months of the year is up 7.2%.

Honda had the best monthly performance. The Japanese automaker assembled 17,429 units of the HR-V compact crossover, representing an increase of 27.8% over last year. This does not include the 3,100 units of the new Acura ADX that were also produced at the Celaya plant and the 1,200 Prologue electric SUVs that GM produced at the Ramos Arizpe plant.

Exports of Honda's three models totaled 19,804 units during the fourth month of the year, which is equivalent to an increase of 28.4% with respect to April 2024.

Its compatriot Toyota had a similar performance, producing 27,256 units in April for an increase of 27%, while the accumulated volume for the year is 105,720 pickups and an increase of 82.9%.

In terms of exports, the Japanese company reported a similar performance, with increases of 36.4% in April and 87.8% in the first four months of the year.

It should be noted that these results derive from the low volumes that the company recorded last year due to the start of the production program for the new generation Tacoma.