The US is the main importer of auto parts in North America

In North America, Mexico is not the main importer of auto parts from China, but the United States, a partner country of the T-MEC that acquires more than 50 percent of the parts used for vehicles from the Asian giant, according to data officials and the private sector.

The future president of the United States, Donald Trump, has threatened on several occasions with imposing 25 percent tariffs on Mexican exports due, among other reasons, to the fact that Chinese companies supposedly use Mexico to send products to the United States.

However, the National Auto Parts Industry (INA) pointed out that, in the case of that automotive branch, the party that makes the largest purchase in the Asian nation is not the Mexican one.

Mexico is not the main destination for Chinese auto parts in the North American regionassured the general director of the INA, Gabriel Padilla Maya.

Using data from the United States Census Bureau and S&P, the organization’s director pointed out that in the first 10 months of last year, the United States became the main importer of automobile parts in North America, since its volume of participation was 53.24 percent.

The 2023 figures show that 52.52 percent of the total imports of these automotive manufactures from the Asian nation were made by American companies.

From January to October 2024, of the total imports of auto parts of Chinese origin, 35.01 percent corresponded to Mexico and the remaining 11.75 percent to Canada.

At the end of 2023, 36.06 percent of the total entered Mexican territory and 11.42 percent entered Canada.

The INA said that the main components that the United States imports from the Asian giant are lithium batteries – due to the promotion of electromobility –, brake discs and suspension parts.

For its part, Mexico buys audio and video components, body parts and tires, while Canada brings plastic components, wheels, brakes and their parts from China.

According to the INA, 88 percent of the auto parts manufactured in national territory are headed to the United States, while 52.3 percent are imported from that country.

Sales increase

On the other hand, according to the Mexican Association of Automotive Distributors (AMDA), from January to December 2024, of the total vehicles sold in national territory, 20.2 percent were imported from China. In 2023, participation was 19.5 percent.

According to data from Asian firms that provide information to the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (Inegi), brands of Chinese origin had a 9.5 percent participation in total sales in 2024.

Guillermo Rosales Zárate, Executive President of the AMDA, pointed out that if the brands of Chinese origin that are not reporting are added to this data, participation increases 3 percentage points.

According to official data, 76.3 percent of total sales correspond to Nissan, Chevrolet, Volkswagen, Toyota, Mazda, Chrysler, MG, Hyundai and Ford.

Seek to reduce dependence on Asian parts: SE

Claudio Bañuelos and Alejandro Alegría

correspondent and reporter

Faced with Donald Trump’s threat to apply 25 percent tariffs once he assumes the presidency of the United States, Mexico intends to further reduce its dependence on components from Asia, which are used to assemble the vehicles produced here. stated the head of the Ministry of Economy (SE), Marcelo Ebrard Casaubón.

Visiting Aguascalientes, the official highlighted the need to work directly with companies in the automotive sector to promote local production.

You have to see who makes the harnesses, the semiconductors, the electronic part, the brakes, etc. Work with this entire conglomerate of companies to reduce the dependence we have on another region.

Ebrard Casaubón pointed out that the goal is for the northern region of the continent to produce more components.

He assured that Mexico has made progress in automotive exports and that it seeks to increase the national component in these.

In the report that the United States government just released this week, in its trade until November 2024, Mexico’s exports grew 13 percent, mainly around the automotive industry.

He highlighted that the percentage of national content in automotive exports is already high, but they seek to increase it even more. It depends on the brand you see, but on average we are already at very high percentages. We want them to increase, that’s the plan.

Protectionism in the global economy

When leading the Moral Economy and Work Substantive Equality and Women’s Rights Forum, held in Aguascalientes, the official referred to the political change that will occur on January 20, when Donald Trump assumes the presidency, since in that context the review will take place. of the T-MEC in 2026 and will move towards an era in the global economy characterized by protectionism.

We are going to be in a new scenario, different on a global leveladmitted the official in the colloquium that was carried out on the instructions of President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo to enrich the PND.

The National Development Plan will be the navigation chart that we will follow in the coming yearshe highlighted.

We want to achieve a series of objectives in our country, but also take into account what is happening outside to act with opportunity, with intelligence and overcome the circumstances that may arise in the coming years.added the head of the SE.

During his participation, the Secretary of Economy commented that the interaction between trade, exports and imports with the United States is growing, so there is no way that the dynamism observed so far will be interrupted in the coming years.

He recalled that the country will have 72 industrial parks. In a nutshell. Mexico is having success and it is a very big growthsaid.

We are determined, prepared, ready and we are going to get aheadhe noted when referring to the commercial relationship with the country’s main trading partner.

The official recognized that Mexico has not managed to grow economically as expected, which translates into difficulty in reducing social inequality.