New vehicle sales maintained a positive momentum during May. According to the Inegi report published this Wednesday, 85,662 units were sold, double the number in the same month of 2020, when all the sales floors were closed and the dealers only managed to market 42,034 vehicles.
“The result for the month of May reflects an important advance compared to the month of May of the previous year, when sales fell 59%. This situation explains the triple digit advance this month, the level of which has been in line with expectations ”, says Guillermo Rosales, deputy general director of the Mexican Association of Automotive Distributors.
Until before the pandemic, and since 2015, May had been a month in which more than 100,000 units were sold. In 2019, for example, 102,422 vehicles were marketed. Last month’s 85,662 units are still between 16% and 18% below the pre-coronavirus average.
During the fifth month of the year, all manufacturers registered increases in their sales, bought with the same month of 2021. Although the shortage of semiconductors has affected the availability of some models, the low base of comparison allowed them to obtain positive results.
Between January and May, accumulated sales amounted to 428,312 vehicles, 14.6% more than the same period in 2020 when 373,692 units were placed on the market.
“This result validates, in the coming months, a moderate advance in the domestic market that could close the year around 1.53 million units, that is, with a 10.9% advance compared to 2020,” adds Rosales.
Among the risk factors that vehicle dealers envision for their forecast are the shortage of semiconductors, which has affected the availability of some models and versions; and inflation, both general (5.80%) and vehicle inflation (9.14%).
