Monthly production in Mexico’s auto parts industry showed resilience in 2026, recovering to 2024 levels and setting a record in the first quarter.
From January to March 2026, Mexican automotive parts production increased at a year-over-year rate of 9.6%, reaching $31.185 billion.
Compared to the same period in 2024, the increase was 0.5%, according to data from the National Auto Parts Industry (INA).
Monthly production of the auto parts industry
“The acceleration in domestic manufacturing is a direct response to strong demand and the performance of the U.S. vehicle market,” the INA said in a press release.
The following shows the trend in auto parts production in Mexico for the first quarter of each year, in millions of dollars:
- 2023: 28,731.
- 2024: 31,033.
- 2025: 28,459.
- 2026: 31,185.
Joint Manufacturing
According to the Mexican Automotive Industry Association (AMIA), this Mexican sector does not compete with the United States; rather, it is a co-producer and operates under the most stringent rules of origin and labor standards ever agreed upon in a U.S. trade treaty or any other global agreement.
Through this platform, U.S. original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) produce vehicles for consumers in the United States and North America, using primarily U.S.-manufactured components, in accordance with the rules of origin under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).
Automotive Supply Chain
From the perspective of the Automotive Parts Manufacturers Association (APMA) of Canada, Canadian and Mexican parts entering the United States as USMCA-compliant products are not the problem that the ongoing Section 301 investigation seeks to address. Rather, it emphasized that these auto parts are part of the solution.
The APMA emphasized that the North American automotive supply chain is a deeply integrated production system that is also rules-based. Consequently, it concluded that treating USMCA origin content as equivalent to excess Chinese-origin capacity would be “analytically incorrect and strategically counterproductive.”
One more consideration: multi-year contracts between automakers and suppliers strengthen the production and export of auto parts in Mexico by establishing volumes, prices, and quality standards. Additionally, they provide certainty to supply chains, drive investment, reduce operating costs, and promote production continuity.