Mexico produced 302,803 light vehicles in Oct 2026, 17.7% fewer than the 367,928 it built in Oct 2025, according to INEGI's administrative record of the light-vehicle industry, published 9 Nov 2026. Exports fell 17.9%, to 258,137 units from 314,227.
Light vehicles exported from Mexico by destination, Jan to Oct 2026
Units and share of the total
A sharp month in a softer year
October fell much harder than the year as a whole. From Jan to Oct, plants in Mexico built 3,254,062 light vehicles, 3.9% fewer than in the same months of 2025, and shipped 2,786,760 abroad, 3.3% fewer. In units, Oct alone left 65,125 fewer vehicles built and 56,090 fewer exported than a year earlier, by our arithmetic.
Sales at home moved the other way. INEGI's timely figures, published 4 Nov, counted 137,438 new light vehicles sold in Mexico in Oct, 3.1% more than a year earlier, and 1,287,268 from Jan to Oct, up 4.8%. The industry here builds mainly for other markets: about 86% of this year's output went abroad, by our arithmetic from INEGI's totals.
Where the vehicles go
The USA took 2,134,474 of the light vehicles exported from Jan to Oct, 76.6% of the total. Canada took 338,401 (12.1%), Germany 75,507 (2.7%) and Brazil 50,585 (1.8%); all other countries together took 187,793 (6.8%). With three of every four exported vehicles headed to the USA, the record suggests demand there weighs on these plants more than that of any other single market.
For longer reads on Mexico's economy, there's also connectedcontinentspress.com. INEGI publishes the November figures on 2 Dec 2026, according to its bulletin.
Sources
- INEGI, light-vehicle industry administrative record (RAIAVL), Oct 2026, 9 Nov 2026
- INEGI, light-vehicle sales, timely figures, Oct 2026, 4 Nov 2026
- Wikipedia, Automotive industry in Mexico (context), 9 Nov 2026
Figures checked at their original sources on 9 Nov 2026. See an error? Corrections.