Automotive investment in North America declined for two consecutive years, in 2024 and 2025, according to data from the White House Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR).
These capital flows fell from $124,810 million in 2023 to $62,840 million in 2024. They then declined further to $59,920 million in 2025.
During this period, the major automakers leading investment in North America were Toyota, Honda, Hyundai-Kia, General Motors, Ford, and Volkswagen. They directed their capital primarily toward the production of hybrid and electric vehicles and battery plants.
Automotive Investments in North America
Capital inflows in this sector totaled $448,000 million from 2018 to 2025.
A report by the USTR notes that the automotive industry remains a major contributor to the economies of the United States and North America, and that the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) has had a positive impact on the global competitiveness of the regional automotive industry.
Since the conclusion of USMCA negotiations in late 2018, automakers and their suppliers have announced investments in the United States totaling more than $346,000 million to localize production and comply with the USMCA’s rules of origin, according to the Automotive Research Center.
The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) estimated that the USMCA has had a net positive impact on employment and wages in the U.S. automotive sector, particularly in auto parts production.
From 2018 to 2025, automotive investments in North America totaled $46,830 million in Canada and $55,120 million in Mexico.
Regional Trend
The following table shows the trend in automotive investments in the United States, in millions of dollars:
- 2018: 13,740.
- 2019: 27,850.
- 2020: 10,960.
- 2021: 29,860.
- 2022: 91,310.
- 2023: 86,170.
- 2024: 32,050.
- 2025: 54,560.
Automotive investment trends in Mexico (in millions of USD) are detailed in the following table:
- 2018: 1,630.
- 2019: 590.
- 2020: 980.
- 2021: 2,550.
- 2022: 3,420.
- 2023: 27,840.
- 2024: 15,570.
- 2025: 2,560.
The following shows the trend in automotive investments in Canada, in millions of dollars:
- 2018: 3,010.
- 2019: 650.
- 2020: 2,460.
- 2021: 1,120.
- 2022: 10,770.
- 2023: 10,800.
- 2024: 15,220.
- 2025: 2,800.