Mexico’s light vehicle exports have their worst first quarter since 2021

Mexico’s airy conveyance exports fell by 6% during the archetypal 4th of 2025, compared to the aforesaid play past year, with Q1 exports totaling 775,866 units, the nationalist statistic bureau INEGI reported connected Monday. 

In its monthly survey, INEGI’s Administrative Registry of the Light Vehicle Automotive Industry (RAIAVL) — which provides accusation connected the sale, production, and export of airy vehicles successful Mexico — noted that Mexico’s automotive exports had experienced their worst diminution for a three-month play since 2021. In that COVID-19 pandemic year, exports fell by 14.1% successful Q1.

The information that exports accrued successful March conscionable arsenic the partial tariffs were becoming a world is simply a spot of bully quality successful an different antagonistic Q1 for airy conveyance exports. (Moisés Pablo Nava/Cuartoscuro)

The driblet successful airy conveyance exports coincided with a emergence successful wide production. The astir caller study shows that Mexico’s automotive manufacture produced 973,485 airy conveyance units successful Q1, marking a 4.8% summation compared to January-March 2024. Light trucks accounted for 76.1% of the full accumulation figure, with the remainder coming from automobile manufacturing. 

The United States is the main destination for Mexico’s airy vehicles, contributing 83% of the export market. Meanwhile, 365,025 vehicles were sold domestically, marking a 3.33% emergence compared to Q1 of 2024.

In March alone, exports roseate by 3.8% compared to the aforesaid period successful 2024, to 296,964 units, the highest fig since March 2019. Mexico’s airy conveyance accumulation besides increased, by 12.1% to 338,669 units.

However, the March betterment could not marque up for the antagonistic figures seen successful January and February, which were blamed connected the uncertainty surrounding the opening of the threats — and aboriginal implementation — of tariffs by the United States. 

The interaction of tariffs connected conveyance exports 

For a 5th consecutive twelvemonth successful 2024, Mexico expanded its stock of the U.S. import market. The value of automotive exports to the U.S. totaled US $181.4 cardinal successful 2024 and contributed 38.5% of the U.S. marketplace for automobiles, an summation from 37.8% successful 2023. 

However, the ever-shifting tariff concern has had its effect. While Mexico’s car manufacture enjoys a partial but important exemption to US President Donald Trump’s worldwide tariff regimen, respective automakers person begun to see their concern options. One large automotive shaper — Stellantis — precocious announced a intermission connected accumulation of immoderate models successful Mexico.  

On the different hand, Japanese automaker Nissan announced it planned to instrumentality to its existent accumulation and concern plans for Mexico contempt the caller tariffs connected imported vehicles. 

With reports from La Jornada and CNN