Auto sales in Mexico drop 5.3% during August

5 September, 2018

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Last month, auto dealers in Mexico sold 118,715 vehicles, 5.3% less units than those marketed in August 2017, marking the fifteenth straight month of sales declines. From January through August, a total 913,726 cars and light trucks have been marketed in the country, representing a 7.8% drop compared to the same eight-month period of 2017.

“We continue to face adverse conditions in the face of the loss of purchasing power of subcompact car consumers and upward pressures on interest rates,” said Guillermo Rosales, director of the Mexican Association of Auto Dealers (AMDA). The AMDA forecasts 1.45 million vehicles will be sold in 2018.

Nissan, the best-selling brand in Mexico with a 22.3% market share on a year-to-date basis, saw its sales sink 10.3% to 26,010 vehicles. Its sales in the first eight months of the year totaled 204,072 units, representing a 15.3% decrease.

Although its August sales totaled just 175 units, Nissan’s premium brand Infiniti posted a 15.9% increase in monthly sales and a 10.8% hike to 1,403 units in a year-to-date basis.

General Motors, second best-selling automaker in Mexico with a 15.8% market share, posted a marginal loss of 0.4% on August sales of 20,574 cars and light trucks. Its year-to-date sales totaled 144,619 units which represents a 11.6% drop.

Volkswagen, ranking third place with a 13.8% market share, posted a 11.6% drop in sales of 16,321 units. Year-to-date sales by the German automaker totaled 126,540 vehicles, down 18.4%. Volkswagen sales figures include those of its Audi, Porsche and Seat brands.

Toyota sold 8,634 vehicles in August for a 4.5% increase. The Japanese automaker remained as the fourth best-selling brand in Mexico with a 7.5% market share. Its year-to-date sales totaled 68,780 units, which represents a 2% increase compared to the first eight months of 2017.

KIA, fifth best-selling brand in the country with a 6.7% market share, saw its sales increase 8.5% to 8,035 vehicles. The Korean automaker’s year-to-date sales totaled 61,011 vehicles, which represents a 9.5% increase.

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA), which holds a 6.4% market share, sold 7,438 vehicles in August, 16% down compared to same month of the previous year. Its year-to-date sales dropped 11.3% to 58,325 units.

Honda posted a 17.8% drop in sales of 6,297 vehicles, while its year-to-date deliveries were of 56,704 units, down 2.2%. Honda figures do not include those of its premium brand Acura, which sold 113 vehicles in August and totaled 1,054 in the first eight months of 2018, representing drops of 27.1% and 21.2% respectively.

Ford Motor Co. (5.1% market share) sold 5,783 units in August for total year-to-date sales of 46,977 vehicles, representing decreases of 20.5% and 13.2% respectively. Ford figures do not include those of its Lincoln brand, which marketed 158 units last month for total year-to-date sales of 1,270 vehicles, figures that represent double-digit hikes of 32.8% and 33% respectively.

Mazda sales increased 9.7% in August to 5,042 vehicles. Its year-to-date sales of 36,344 units represent a 6.3% gain in the first eight months of 2018.

KIA’s sister brand, Hyundai posted a sales increase of 5.5% to 4,225 vehicles. Its year-to-date sales totaled 32,962 cars and SUVs, representing a 18.1% hike.

In the premium segment, BMW posted a 17% hike in sales of 1,650 vehicles. Its year-to-date sales were of 12,822 vehicles for a 19.7% boost.

Mercedes-Benz also saw its monthly sales rise 9% to 1,509 vehicles, for total year-to-date sales of 12,020 units, 10.1% up. It’s worth noting that the German automaker does not report sales of certain high-end SUVs since November 2012 concerning security reasons.

Audi sold 1,403 cars and SUVs for total year-to-date sales of 9,671 units, representing increases of 30.1% and 5.8% respectively.

MexicoNow

- This is how auto sales ended up in the NAFTA region during August