Nearly one in five cars sold in Mexico in 2025 was made in China. The newspaper Reforma reports that, according to data from the national statistics agency INEGI and industry groups including the Electro Mobility Association and the Nuevo León Automotive Cluster (CLAUT), some 306,351 “Made in China” light vehicles were sold in Mexico last year, representing 19% of total sales.
Around 244,000 of these were made by Chinese automakers such as BYD, Changan, MG and GWM, representing around 15% of total sales in 2025. The rest were made in China by foreign companies such as GM and Ford.
Five years ago, sales of Chinese-branded vehicles accounted for less than 1% of total sales in Mexico, the newspaper El Economista reported. Mexico is now the world’s top importer of vehicles made in China.
Of the millions of Chinese-built vehicles flooding the world’s markets, many are legacy gas-burners, but a significant share are EVs. Around 85,000 BYDs were sold in Mexico last year, representing about one third of all sales of Chinese-branded vehicles.
CLAUT Director Manuel Montoya told Reforma that “Made in China” vehicles have “very attractive prices and…are very well made.” However, he added, “Cars built in China don’t have a single part made in Mexico.”
Mexico’s government has responded to the Chinese threat to the Mexican auto industry by raising tariffs. Beginning this year, vehicles made in China are subject to a 50% duty, up from 20% in 2025.
Guillermo Rosales, President of the trade group AMDA, told El Economista that it’s difficult to predict what impact the higher tariffs will have. “The year already started and we’re not seeing upward price changes,” he said.
Source: Reforma, Mexico News Daily, El Economista
Image: luca piccini basile – stock.adobe.com
