Mexico’s light vehicle market reached an all-time record high in the first nine months of 2026, driven by expanding inventory, intense market competition among Chinese and traditional brands, and a slight year-over-year decline in retail auto prices.
Data released by the INEGI via its Administrative Registry of the Light Vehicle Automotive Industry (RAIAVL) showed that 1,144,002 new light vehicles were sold between January and September 2026. This represents a 5% increase—equivalent to 54,851 additional units—compared to the 1,089,151 vehicles sold during the same nine-month period in 2025.
The performance positions the national automotive industry toward its highest annual sales volume in history.
“In historical comparison, the figures reflect the highest cumulative period in the series published by Inegi. The commercialization level for January-September 2026 was higher than sales in a similar period of 2016 (the previous record), placing it 1.9% above the 1,122,142 units sold back then,” said Guillermo Rosales, executive president, AMDA.
September Outperforms Industry Forecasts
During September 2026 alone, auto dealers in Mexico delivered 129,288 new light vehicles, reflecting an 8% year-over-year expansion compared to the 119,766 units sold in September 2025. The addition of 9,522 units over September 2025 marks the sector’s highest sales volume for the month of September in a decade, nearing the monthly historic benchmark of 131,888 units recorded in September 2016.
The monthly total surpassed institutional projections by a wide margin.
“With these figures, the light vehicle market in September exceeded the estimate made by AMDA, which stood at 118,665 units. The estimate had a percentage difference of 8.2% compared to the observed figure of 129,288 units,” Rosales said.
Sequentially, September sales experienced a minor dip of 0.1%—a drop of 73 units compared to August 2026.
“In September 2026, 129,288 light vehicles were sold, a figure 8% higher than September 2025… regarding performance against the immediately preceding month, a decrease in new light vehicles sold was recorded, down 73 units, or a decline of 0.1% compared to August 2026,” Rosales detailed.
Despite the month-over-month plateau, AMDA noted that overall market trends remain firmly positive on a cumulative basis.
Market Leaders and Chinese Brand Performance
The ranking of top-selling automotive groups remained unchanged, led by Nissan, General Motors (GM), Volkswagen (VW), and Toyota, followed by Kia, Mazda, Stellantis, and Ford holding the tenth spot against pressure from Chinese automaker Geely.
Sales trajectories among traditional automakers varied widely during September:
- Nissan recorded a 15.7% annual sales increase.
- Stellantis posted a 43% surge in monthly deliveries.
- Mazda expanded by 15%.
- General Motors grew by 9%.
- Hyundai increased by 3.3%.
- Toyota gained 3.2%.
- Volkswagen declined by 1.6%.
- Kia dropped by 5.7%.
- Honda fell by 9%.
Dynamics within the Chinese vehicle segment showed sharp divergence. Geely experienced a 91% surge in sales volume, while Jetour Soueast advanced 84.6%. JAC grew by 6.5%, MG Motor expanded by 6.2%, and new entrant Zeekr Lynk&Co placed 334 units in the market. Conversely, Changan saw sales fall by 14%, and Great Wall dropped by 7.8%.
In specific localized regional segments tracked by AMDA, sales pulled back between January and August, dropping to 22,309 units from the 27,282 units recorded during the corresponding period in 2025—a decline of 4,973 units.
Pricing Dynamics and Economic Outlook
Key factors bolstering the market include greater inventory availability and diverse consumer financing. Price trends have also worked in favor of buyers. In the first half of September 2026, Mexico’s National Consumer Price Index (INPC) showed an annual inflation rate of 3.42%, while the specific index for automobile purchases dropped 0.35% year-over-year.
Looking toward the fourth quarter, AMDA anticipates a potential moderation in growth rates for October, November, and December due to potential price adjustments stemming from a 50% tariff imposed on direct imports from China.
However, several automakers are moving to mitigate tariff pressures. Brands such as Changan have stated they will absorb tariff costs rather than pass them to retail consumers. Furthermore, automakers leveraging newly opened assembly plants in Brazil plan to utilize Brazil’s free-trade arrangement with Mexico to bypass the 50% Chinese tariff entirely.
“Regarding economic performance, a GDP growth expectation of 1.40% is recorded for the country in 2026. Likewise, general inflation is forecasted to reach an annual rate of 3.87% for 2026, while the end-of-year forecast for 2027 stands at 3.82%,” Rosales concluded.
Source: mexicobusiness.news
