Between January and August 2026, Mexico sold 1,014,715 light vehicles, up 4.7% from the same period in 2025, according to the Mexican Association of Auto Dealers (AMDA). The result puts the country on track for a record year in auto sales, despite the tariffs the United States maintains on imported vehicles and auto parts.
The domestic sales figure sits alongside a different set of numbers from the same sector. The National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI) reported on September 7 that light-vehicle production fell 1.43% year-on-year in August, to 344,940 units, while exports rose 1.26%, to 300,475. Domestic sales for that month grew 2.23%, to 129,362 units. The reading is two-sided: domestic demand is advancing while the export-oriented segment adjusts. That is why AMDA is, for now, ruling out any direct impact of U.S. trade measures on new-car sales within Mexico.
Guillermo Rosales, AMDA's executive president, places the principal risks in the performance of the national economy rather than in the bilateral trade relationship. If the trend holds, the association estimates the market will close 2026 above 1,684,000 units, 3.6% above its adjusted estimate. In the auto parts segment, the National Auto Parts Industry (INA) reports that Mexico attracted $1.617 billion in foreign direct investment during the first half of the year, 31.3% more than a year earlier and the best start to a year since 2021. Julio Galván, INA's economic studies manager, urged caution: "there are still many variables between now and the end of the year." The sector notes that approximately 87% of Mexico's automotive output is destined for export, and calls for strengthening the domestic supply chain.
The next milestone on the calendar is the USMCA review, in which Mexico is seeking to reduce tariffs on its primary export sector. The next monthly INEGI report will reveal whether the sales pace can sustain the projected record. The question that remains open is whether domestic demand can offset, over the remainder of the year, the adjustment in the export-oriented segment.
This article was produced with artificial intelligence assistance from verified sources and reviewed by a human editor before publication.