Mexican Automotive Production Registers Slight Decline in January

In anticipation of a year of moderate sales in its main market, the automotive industry established in Mexico reduced its production during January by -2.7% compared to the volume for the same period in 2025, according to official figures.

Data released by Inegi indicate that almost 304,000 light and medium-sized vehicles rolled off the assembly lines in Mexico in the first month of this year, a negative difference of more than 8,000 units.

Exports, on the other hand, registered a slight increase of 2.3% with a total of 224,528 vehicles, of which 73.2%, or 164,000 units, were destined for the United States, representing a decline of -10.4% compared to the 183,000 vehicles shipped to the neighboring country in January 2025.

The best-performing automaker was Volkswagen. Its assembly plant in Puebla closed last December with a 40.7% increase in production and extended this streak in January with an even greater increase of 66.4%, exceeding 34,500 units.

Another company that increased its volumes at a double-digit rate was General Motors. Despite starting the year with the elimination of a shift at its plant in Ramos Arizpe, Coahuila, it recorded a 21.9% increase with the production of 73,260 vehicles.

Double-digit declines in the assembly of electric vehicles such as the Blazer EV, Equinox EV, and Cadillac Optiq were offset by triple-digit increases in the production of Sierra and Silverado pickups, according to official data.

Other notable performances include Audi, with a 15.2% rebound in production of more than 11,000 units, and Stellantis, which recorded a 9.4% increase in volume of less than 25,000 units.

The multinational reported limited production of the Jeep Recon electric SUV, as well as the sixth-generation Jeep Cherokee, despite several reports indicating that US dealerships have had models in stock since the beginning of the year.

Other automakers with positive performances, but in single digits, were Ford, Kia, and Honda, the former with an increase of 8.3% and a volume of more than 35,000 units.

The South Korean automaker, on the other hand, reported a 5.3% growth in production of 25,600 vehicles, while the Japanese automaker recorded a 3.8% increase and a volume exceeding 17,000 units, including those of the Acura brand.

Among the companies that started with lower production were the Japanese companies Mazda, Toyota, and Nissan, the former with a result 43.9% lower than a year ago, while the latter two saw declines of 43.1% and 31.1%, respectively.

BMW joined the trend with a drop of 23.2%, and Mercedes-Benz, which is about to conclude operations in the country, reported a decline of 4.6%.