Mexico Passenger Car Sales: 2026 (Jan-Apr)

It's difficult to say whether the market is growing as some larger players are not reporting. BYD and GAC haven't been, while Chery, Jaecoo and Omoda pulled out after reporting last year. In 2026, imported Chinese cars had tariffs increased from 20 to 50%. China called the move protectionist and seeing as they have various duties to limit imports, they should know.  

Nissan maintains its long standing leadership here. Chevrolet likewise is a popular brand with 12.4% share. Five of the top six lost some market share.

Data source: AMDA. Photos: Nissan Sentra & Chevrolet Tracker. 

Mexico Japan Car Production : 2025

Four Japanese firms have over the years invested in Mexican production. In 2025, that included six brands. In total, they produced 1,138,000 vehicles.

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Honda: 225,000 units in total are made here. 80% of Honda cars made in Mexico go to the US so it has been badly exposed by the introduction of tariffs. The next generation Civic hybrid is now not going to be made here.  

Mazda: They made 175,000 cars in 2025. Due to low US content, they are more greatly affected by tariffs. It is reducing exports to the US and sending cars to other markets. 

Nissan: An impressive 660,000 units were manufactured. A wide range of  vehicles is made here, including two for Infiniti. As for Infiniti, production ceased in November as the joint venture plant with Mercedes-Benz is ceasing. 

Nissan is the biggest selling brand in Mexico, so less dependent on exports that some other car makers. That said, globally Nissan is struggling any extra costs will hurt. 

Toyota: It has two plants making the Tacoma mid size pick up. Over 300,000 went through those establishments in 2025. It is able to leverage its US supply chain to minimise tariffs, so not too badly affected. 

Summary: Mexico is a vibrant car manufacturing location for Japanese firms and that will continue. 

Data source: INEGI. 

Mexico USA Car Production : 2025

US car makers with plants in Mexico now have to deal with tariffs on cars entering the USA. This has obviously impacted the profits of the vehicles involved. 

Ford: It makes three models here for a combined total of 417,000. The compact Bronco Sport crossover SUV and compact Maverick pick up truck benefit from lower wages as magins are tighter on compact sized vehicles. 

GM: It manufactured over 800,000 vehicles in 2025. While some model production will return to the US, it is committed to continued investment and will retain the four plants it operates through.  

Stellantis: Jeep and Ram are the two brands that make vehicles here. Combined, 266,000 units were assembled in Mexico. 

Jeep is just starting production of the Recon BEV. The compact Compass crossover SUV is the mainstay of Jeep manufacturing.

Ram makes mainly pick up trucks here but also the large Promaster van. Some pick up production will return Stateside.

Summary: Mexico was an appealing place to make vehicles and it still is. Recent moves have made it a little less appealing. 

Data source: INEGI. Photo; Mexico Now (Ram 1500).

Mexico Korea/China Car Production : 2025

Kia has had a plant here 2016 and JAC 2017 so both are relatively new. Kia is heavily export driven whereas for JAC its focus is more on the local market.

Kia: The plant has an annual 400,000 unit capacity so just under three quarters utilised at this time. Its purpose is to supply the American continent wtih about 75% of production exported. 

It also assembles Hyundai products, the current one being the Tucson. It isn't a major volume, making up less than 7% of production in 2025.

JAC: It assembles a range of vehicles, relying heavily on imported content from China. JAC recently increased capacity to 60,000 units per annum.  

It has a goal to develop more local suppliers. Some of the figures in the chart would only be viable with limited local content. 

The range is extensive, the models listed covering cars, SUVs, MPVs, vans and light trucks.  

Summary: Two very different assembly operations are shown here. One focused on fewer models at higher volume and the other the opposite. Yet they are both proving successful.  

Data source: INIGI. Photo source: Promexicoindustry.

Mexico German Car Production : 2025

BMW, Mercedes-Benz and VW/Audi manufacture cars in Mexico. Wage costs, the proximity to the US and Mexico having extensive free trade agreements contribute to the desirability to have plants there. 

BMW: The 2-Series Coupe, M2 and 3-Series are made here. A battery assembly facility is also underway with BEV models to made here in future. 

Mercedes-Benz: The GLB is made at a joint venture plant with Nissan assembly but that will cease in mid 2026, ending M-B production in Mexico.

VW/Audi: The Audi Q5 is made here, along with three VW models. The Golf will come here in 2027 and BEV models are planned. 

Summary: In total, 634,800 vehicles were made here by German manufacturers. M-B soon leaving is a blip but there will be continued investment by the other two companies.

Data source: INEGI. Photo: VW.

Mexico Top 50 : 2025

A few unfamiliar names for many. For example, the above picture is the Ram 1200, with sales up 126%. It is made in China by Changan, a partner with Stellantis. Below is the Chevrolet Groove, up 24%. It is sourced from SAIC-GM-Wuling joint venture, again from China.  

Data source: Inegi.

México Car/LCV Sales : 2025

México Sales were up 1% and that sounds rather average. Then if you find out that the 2025 total was up 16% compared the average over the last ten years, it sounds a lot more positive. The sales data is excellent in both scope and detail. It speaks well of Mexico to be well organised like this. 

Nissan took the lead off Chevrolet in 2005 and has not handed it back. The gap between them suggests things won't be changing anytime soon. Between them, they take 30% of total sales which is an impressive haul. 

Chinese brands are proliferating with mixed results. MG lost 20% of it's market share and a couple of places in the ranking while Geely has arrived and already making its mark in a positive way. Changan has moved up 11 places in ranking. Chery and Omoda were both well down on 2024, the scope of which was a surprise. 

For the 2024 articles, simply click on the links below:

By brand. 

By model. 

Data source: AMDA. Picture sources: Nissan & Kia México.

Mexico Production By Manufacturer : 2023/24

Mexico has developed a strong automobile manufacturing industry. Production is for domestic consumption as well as for markets around the world. The list includes cars and light trucks.   

GM is the main producer with 842,500 vehicles made for three brands within the company. Nissan is next with 670,000 for two marques. 

The total was 4 million units which was up 6% for the 12 groups and 17 brands involved. It was 15 brands last year, with Cadillac and Hyundai added in 2024.

Such openness is rare. I can't see why this sort of data isn't available elsewhere.  

Data source: Inegi. 

Photos : Manufacturers.

Mexico Top 50 : 2024

Mexico Car/LCV Sales : 2024

Registrations were up 2% in December and up 10% YTD, the highest since 2017 and the third best ever year. Nissan lead the way as usual with a slight loss of market share but with a sales volume gain. The five brands immediately below it all increased their share. 

A group of new Chinese brands have arrived on the scene, some late last year and others this year. Great Wall Motors covers most of them. It will be interesting to see how they fare in the future. Cupra registrations are just for the Formentor model. 

Data source: AMDA.

Mexico Top 50 Light Vehicles : 2023

Nissan is well respected around these parts, taking four of the top seven spots. Overall a mix of brands from various regions, reflecting an open marketplace. The picture above is the Chevrolet S-10, a rebadged Maxus T70 from China. Below is pictured the Dodge Attitude which is a rebadged Mitsubishi Attrage. 

Data source: INEGI.

Mexico Light Vehicle Sales : 2023

The car sales statistics that are available from Mexico are top drawer. Compared to the increasingly shambolic situation in the USA - and even worse in Canada - one has to wonder why organisations in the latter two countries cannot be assigned to do something about it. Mexico is showing its two northern neighbours up big time. 

The 'Diff' column shows market share change. With a buoyant market, as this is, some of the makes with decreases in market share would still have a sales increase. Total sales were up 24% and December 16%. The 1,360,000 total is one of the best ever. 

Nissan has been losing market share for a few years now but has really picked up for 2023. Chevrolet, Toyota and Kia have both dropped quite sharply but that happens. MG had been flying but suddenly stopped. Has it reached a point where with its present range future growth is not feasible? 

Chery and its stablemate Omoda have come from nowhere and now 2022 registrations have been added to those brands (they weren't initially), we get a clearer picture of their meteoric rize. Maybe they have taken some sales from MG as they are direct competitors. I've not read great reports about Omoda but sales here are good.

I've finally separated SEAT and Cupra, a third market I've found that combines them. I'm not sure why as other brands within a company are separated. Cupra is just the Formentor model and a few other sales may be hidden in the SEAT data. Premium marques are not big sellers in Mexico, Mercedes is the top one back in 20th place.  

Data source: AMDA.

Mexico PU Truck Sales : 2020-22

Mexico doesn't have a protected market for pickup trucks so have more variety than its northern neighbours. On average they are not as large either. Brand preferences are quite different too. Due to these factors, the makeup of the pickup market is quite different. 

Top of the pops is the Nissan Frontier/Navara model and by some margin. Then again, Nissan is the biggest brand here so not really a surprise. The Toyota Hilux is increasing consistently which looks ominous. The top US model is the Ram PU and it also is improving consistently. The Mitsubishi L200 isn't sold in either Canada or the US but is a solid performer here. 

European and Chinese offerings can be observed further down the list below, another unique feature in North America. It also means that the 90 to 95% share enjoyed by US brands up north is much lower in Mexico, just over a third of total sales. The JAC Frison is a model making great strides (picture below). 

Mexico Top 50 Models : 2022

I was trying to get some photos from manufacturers websites in Mexico and was surprised how many make it impossible to do so and the computer generated efforts were too artificial. Renault and VW were two that do a fine job in both access and realistic pictures. So they got the nod. Above the Renault Kwid in a dangerous parking situation and below the VW Nivus possibly about to be appropriated.

The Kia Rio lept into the top spot and relegated two Nissan's in the process. Mind you Nissan is cutting back sales here so they assisted Kia nicely. The MG 5 got to fifth from 43rd. There were many other moves of note too. US brands secured six of the top 15 spots and Asian ones eight. Asian brands do well here.  

Data source: Inegi.

Mexico Sales : 2022

Registrations for December were +24% and for 2022 was +7%. That's a strong result. The '+/- diff' column below is for market share change. 

Nissan has been the best selling nameplate here since 2005 when it displaced Chevrolet. Is the latter making a comeback? It made up some ground anyway. VW dropped to fifth but MG has roared up to seventh. Chinese brands are making inroads here. Lexus has arrived, finally although a few cars were sold last year. 

Data source: AMDA.

Mexico Top 50 Sales By Model : 2021

Mexico has a different market to the US and Canada. I colour coded the list to show where brands historically originated and that helps to show that. Many more Asian models and fewer European ones in the top 50. Of the European brands, some aren't sold north of the Mexican border.   

Point of interest: Ford isn't as strong here as the other two NAFTA countries. Only the Ranger at 40th place waves the flag for the Blue Oval. A major reason is Ford's underwhelming performance in the small car segment which is important here. 

Data source: Inegi.

Mexico Sales: 2021

Registrations for December were -8% and +7% in 2021 coming after a very low 2020 result. The '+/-' column below is comparing market share variance for 2021 with 2020. Long-term leader Nissan reinforced its lead with a minor loss in market share but with the two nearest unable to go with them, especially GM. Honda and Mercedes were notable for the wrong reasons, SEAT and Mitsubishi the right ones. 

While the US and Canadian markets are mirror images of each other, Mexico has some unique differences. Suzuki and SEAT being two of the better selling examples, the latter including Cupra. We can now add MG, a new brand that has arrived this year and is already in the top twenty. 

Point of interest: The Chinese brand assault hasn't been as marked as some other markets in the Americas although as mentioned MG has started very strongly. BAIC came a few years ago - assembling cars too - but not with that much success. The brands Changan and JMC have recently arrived and are through the same company that brought BAIC to Mexico. 

Data source: AMDA.

Mexico Production By Company : 2020

Mexico has a vibrant vehicle industry from large trucks (not covered here) to small cars. It has recently had to deal with the US not being happy with the success of its car exports north. It also has an open market for imported cars, showing the rampant protectionism in Asia in established car-making countries is simply not necessary. 

The total figure of 3 million was down 19%, which surprised no one with the Covid fallout. Passenger car volume was down 30%, which has the added issue of cars generally losing favour. Nissan makes a third of all cars and Kia one out of five. The diversity of brands is a notable plus although two left in 2020.

Light commercial vehicles did slightly better, being down 13%. GM now accounts for a third of that total and Chrysler one in five, that same pattern as cars. Two new brands entered here. 

Mexico Premium Comparison : 2018-20

A new dawn for Acura, or is that dusk?

The BMW Group is top here, despite yet again Mercedes the stronger selling nameplate. The MINI yet again comes to BMW's rescue. That said, MINI has been losing some ground of late. Volvo is steadily improving its position although well short of the brands above it.   

If you're wondering where Lexus is and thinking this is a serious oversight, the marque isn't sold in Mexico. That is set to change in 2021. The way Acura and Infiniti are both in a downward trajectory, there could be an opening for Toyota's upmarket marque. 

Data source: AMDA.