Chinese-made vehicles now make up nearly 1 in 5 cars sold in Mexico

Around 1 successful 5 cars sold successful Mexico successful 2025 was made successful China, according to information from the nationalist statistic bureau INEGI and manufacture groups.

Citing information from INEGI, the Electro Mobility Association and the Nuevo León Automotive Cluster (CLAUT), the Reforma paper reported connected Thursday that 306,351 “Made successful China” airy vehicles were sold successful Mexico past year, representing 19% of full sales.

The fig includes income of vehicles made by Chinese automakers specified arsenic BYD, Changan, MG and GWM arsenic good arsenic income of cars made successful China by overseas companies specified arsenic General Motors and Ford.

Around 244,000 of the “Made successful China” airy vehicles sold successful Mexico past twelvemonth were Chinese-branded cars, according to the Mexican Association of Automotive Distributors (AMDA). That fig represents astir 15% of full income successful 2025, which numbered implicit 1.6 cardinal units according to AMDA.

Five years ago, income of Chinese-branded vehicles accounted for little than 1% of full income successful Mexico, the El Economista paper reported. Mexico is present the world’s apical importer of vehicles made successful China.

The accelerated summation successful income of Chinese cars, and the resultant interaction connected the Mexican car industry, was a cardinal crushed wherefore the national authorities took the determination to summation tariffs connected vehicles made successful China. As of Jan. 1, specified vehicles are taxable to a 50% work erstwhile entering Mexico, up from 20% successful 2025.

‘Cars built successful China don’t person a azygous portion made successful Mexico’ 

CLAUT manager Manuel Montoya told Reforma that the important marketplace stock of “Made successful China” cars successful Mexico is mostly owed to their charismatic prices, which are imaginable acknowledgment to debased accumulation costs successful the East Asian economical powerhouse.

“The accepted brands [such arsenic Ford and GM] that manufacture present and besides successful China person the enactment of bringing a quota of vehicles from determination [to Mexico] astatine [Chinese] prices,” helium said.

“… That’s wherefore you person an SUV specified arsenic the Ford Territory with a ace terms [in Mexico] and that encourages radical to buy,” Montoya said.

BYD electrical vehicles person go fashionable successful Mexico due to the fact that of their affordability compared to different EVs. Around 85,000 BYDs were sold successful Mexico past year, representing astir one-third of each income of Chinese-branded vehicles.

Montoya said that “Made successful China” vehicles are selling “because they person precise charismatic prices and, successful addition, they’re precise good made.”

While galore Mexican consumers are blessed astir having entree to Chinese cars, the emergence of the Chinese car manufacture represents a menace to its Mexican counterpart.

GM started to export made-in-China cars to Mexico successful 2020 with its Chinese JV spouse SAIC. This helped pave the mode for SAIC and different Chinese automakers to turn rapidly successful the Mexico market.

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“Cars built successful China don’t person a azygous portion made successful Mexico,” noted Montoya.

“It affects america due to the fact that the Mexican manufacture lives disconnected accumulation of vehicles made successful North America. It truly affects us, the United States and Canada,” helium said.

Will higher tariffs interaction income of Chinese cars?

AMDA president Guillermo Rosales told El Economista that it is hard to foretell what interaction the higher tariffs volition person connected income of Chinese cars successful Mexico.

Although the 50% work took effect connected Jan. 1, Rosales said helium didn’t expect “significant changes” successful income of Chinese-made cars successful the archetypal fractional of the year.

“The twelvemonth already started and we’re not seeing upward terms changes,” helium said.

Higher prices for Chinese vehicles could go evident aboriginal successful the twelvemonth arsenic dealerships instrumentality transportation of cars that entered the state aft Jan. 1. However, Chinese automakers are known for having the capableness to sorb and offset tariff increases.

Still, the 50% tariff connected vehicles from China and different countries with which Mexico doesn’t person a escaped commercialized statement (such arsenic India and South Korea) “is a measurement and a nationalist argumentation that balances the market,” according to Rogelio Garza, president of the Mexican Automotive Industry Association.

“… As the Economy Minister [Marcelo Ebrard] has said himself, [it creates a] level playing tract successful bid to beryllium capable to vie successful Mexico,” Garza said.

With reports from Reforma and El Economista