Mexico’s automotive industry posted sharp declines across cars, light trucks and heavy-duty commercial vehicles in November, as road blockades, labor stoppages and softer global demand disrupted factory operations and slowed exports.
Heavy-duty truck exports dive 22%
The country’s heavy-vehicle manufacturers — tractor-trailers, trucks and buses — recorded significant declines in November, according to data from Mexico’s National Association of Bus, Truck and Tractor Producers (Anpact).
Production: 13,108 units (-28% year-over-year)
Exports: 10,367 units (-21.9%)
Wholesale sales: 2,809 units (-56.9%)
The 16 members of Anpact in Mexico are Freightliner, Kenworth, Navistar, Hino, International, DINA, MAN SE, Mercedes-Benz, Isuzu, Scania, Shacman Trucks, Foton, Cummins, Detroit Diesel, Daimler Buses Mexico and Volkswagen Buses.
Freightliner was the top truck producer and exporter in Mexico in November, producing 7,545 trucks, a 24.7% year-over-year decline. The truck maker exported 7,099 units during April, a 19.1% year-over-year decrease.
International Trucks Inc. was the No. 2 producer and exporter during the month, manufacturing 4,044 trucks, a 25.3% year-over-year decrease. The truck maker’s exports fell 23.3% year-over-year to 2,949 units during the month.
Rogelio Arzate, president of Mexico City-based Anpact, said the declines in year-over-year exports and production in November was caused by tariffs and supply chain uncertainty created by the U.S., the main export market for Mexico’s heavy-duty truck market (94.4%).
“The uncertainty is what caused what has been expressed in the reports every month, not knowing where the trade policies and tariffs in the United States will end up, and the fact that we are currently paying 25 percent on non-American content, and that has had an impact,” Arzate said during a news conference on Tuesday.
Rolling protests and road blockades by farmers and truckers across Mexico have also impacted major border crossings over the past several weeks, stranding thousands of freight trucks carrying goods to the U.S.
Related: Blockades choke Mexico’s border trade as farmers, truckers escalate unrest
Light-vehicle output falls 8.4%
Mexico assembled 322,205 cars and light trucks in November, down 8.4% year-over-year. Exports totaled 279,342 units, a 3.4% decline from November 2024.
Exports continued to skew heavily toward the U.S., which absorbed 78.6% of shipments from January to November (2.48 million vehicles). Canada followed with an 11% share and Germany with 3%.
Light trucks continued to dominate assembly lines, accounting for 77.2% of national production, underscoring their importance in Mexico’s export mix.
Top light-vehicle exporters – November 2025
- General Motors: 78,257 units (+3.9% year-over-year)
- Ford: 33,709 (+89%)
- Volkswagen: 27,794 (+9.2%)
- Stellantis: 27,653 (-10.1%)
- Nissan: 23,008 (-38.5%)
Automotive officials said weak demand in the U.S. slowed down auto factories across the country.
“Among the factors contributing to the uncertainty affecting the sector’s performance in the international context is the ongoing adjustment of U.S. trade policy within the framework of the review and renegotiation of the United States-Mexico-Canada-Agreement,” Guillermo Rosales, president of the Mexican Association of Automobile Dealers, said during the news conference.
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