La Jornada: New car sales record a record first half

Car sales in Mexico reached a record level in the first half of 2026, mainly driven by the increase in automotive financing, bonuses and discounts offered by brands.

According to data provided by the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (Inegi) this Thursday, the automotive industry in Mexico sold 754,394 units from January to June of this year, which represented an increase of 5.31 percent compared to the same period in 2025.

Figures from Inegi revealed that sales during the first half of the year were the highest since records began in 2005, surpassing the most recent record level for the first half of the year, which was in 2017, when 745 thousand new cars were sold.

Tariff swings

Automobile sales in Mexico surpassed the tariff swings and, in a scenario in which China, in the midst of trade negotiations, joins the greater commercialization of light vehicles in the country, since the Asian nation’s brands continue to gain space in the Mexican market, with annual growth of around 250 percent in the first half of the year for Geely, and 19.6 percent for MG.

Brands such as Stellantis and Mazda rebounded, while Nissan faced a one percent drop during the half.

According to Inegi, car sales increased 7.6 percent in June of this year alone, to reach 126,778 units, the highest amount since the sixth month of 2017, when 127,752 vehicles were sold.

In its month-to-month comparison, it suffered a drop of 0.26 percent, after the monthly growth of 6.94 percent in May.