Automotive Industry Expects to Produce 3.98 Million Vehicles in 2026
Mexico's automotive industry has closed out the first half of the year with mixed results across key indicators: while light vehicle sales rose by 5.3% and exports increased by 1.3%, domestic production posted a slight decline of 0.4% compared to the same period in 2025.
The heavy-duty vehicle category faced a more complex situation, as it experienced declines in both production and exports, in addition to a 21.8% drop in retail sales. This contrasts with the auto parts industry, which saw a 10.0% increase in cumulative production through April.
This year, light vehicle production reached 1,996,304 units in the first half of the year, a decrease of 0.4% compared to the same period last year.
The forecast for the second half of 2026 is for production of 3,980,000 light vehicles, representing a 0.6% increase, with exports of 3,350,000 units and an estimated change of -1.6%.
The auto parts industry has shown positive performance during this period; according to INA records, cumulative production from January through April 2026 reached US$41.9 million, representing a 10.0% increase compared to the same period last year.
Foreign trade also showed a positive balance, as auto parts exports totaled US$36.5 million between January and April, while imports amounted to US$23 million, resulting in a trade surplus of US$13.4 million.
The indicators show that the industry is progressing at different paces: sales of light-duty vehicles are experiencing solid growth, while production and exports are growing at a more measured pace; heavy-duty vehicles have faced a contraction in the first half of the year; and auto parts are showing greater momentum in the segments analyzed.
Based on all this data, projections indicate that auto parts production will reach US$121.6 million, representing a 2.1% increase over the previous year, as highlighted by the Industrial Cluster platform.
