The production and export of vehicles in Mexico stagnated during the first half of the year in the year-on-year comparison, with which both indicators even approached the levels of 2016, according to data from the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (Inegi).
In the first six months of the year , 1 million 661,346 light vehicles were assembled , which represented an advance of 3.9% , a sign of the difficulties in the sector’s supply chain, which has been affected by the lack of semiconductors since the year. past.
This also had repercussions on exports . Vehicles destined for other markets totaled 1,404,595 units, resulting in an advance of only 42 units .
Production of pickups and SUVs contribute to the slight advance
Despite the fact that production volumes had a six-year decline, pickups and SUVs drove the slight advance registered in the first half. In this period, 1 million 327,994 units of these segments were assembled, denominated as a whole as light trucks by Inegi, which represented an increase of 9.1%.
Toyota’s iconic Tacoma pickup , which is assembled at two of the company’s plants, in Guanajuato and Baja California, is the most produced model in the country. This list continues the Chevrolet Equinox SUV and Silverado Double Cab pickup , Audi’s Q5 SUV and Ford’s Bronco Sport off-roader.
On the other hand, the manufacture of automobiles added 333,352 units in the same period, which meant a decrease of 12.5% compared to the same semester of last year.
In this segment, the most pronounced drop was that of Nissan’s Versa , which is produced at its Aguascalientes complex, going from 71,093 units assembled from January to June of last year to 41,306 in the reference period.
With 56,232 units built, production of the Nissan Sentra fell 21.3% , while Volkswagen’s Jetta with 31,034 units fell 10.6% .
Exports unchanged, but pickups and SUVs help
Despite falling to levels similar to those of 2016, exports of pickup trucks and SUVs contributed so that the variation for the semester did not result in a negative rate.
This segment added 1 million 153,795 units shipped to other markets, which meant an advance of 3.2% and, as expected, Tacoma was the most shipped model abroad. This listing continues the RAM 2500 , Equinox , Q5 and Silverado Double Cab .
On the other hand, the export of automobiles totaled 250,800 units in the first semester, which implied a decrease of 12.6%.
Guillermo Rosales, president of the Mexican Association of Automotive Distributors, points out that these data respond to the fact that assemblers have directed their efforts to manufacturing, mainly SUVs , since it is today the most popular segment both in the local market and in the international market. American and European.
The United States is the country where the units assembled in Mexico arrive the most, followed by Canada, Germany, Colombia and Puerto Rico.
