Mexican automakers must move towards electromobility

Because it is one of the pillars of the national economy, and in light of the international situation, in which the country is going through a change of government, the automotive industry is the defining factor for development and long-term investments, stated Odracir. Barquera, general director of the Mexican Association of the Automotive Industry (AMIA).

For the manager, the phenomenon of company relocation, known as nearshoring, It is temporary, which is why this industry must prepare to make an effective transition to electromobility, a concept understood as the transformation of the consolidated production plant of internal combustion vehicles to one of cars made with new technologies.

In interview with The Day, Barquera maintained that this new revolution in the automotive industry currently presents important challenges, among which those of an energy nature, those of commercial facilitation and the creation of infrastructure, as well as those of worker training stand out.

“In light of the international situation and where we are in Mexico, in a change of government, it is of utmost importance to understand that the automotive industry is the defining factor for long-term development and investment. There is a lot of talk about the relocation of chains by the nearshoring. It is important, but temporary.

What is really important in the long term is that Mexico prepares and makes an effective transition to electromobility; That implies investments in the production of new technology vehicles, the construction of a new stage of the value chain in Mexico for new technology components, and with it 30 or 50 years of spillover that we have known since the NAFTA (Treaty) was signed. of North American Free Trade)Barquera stressed.

The AMIA director explained that the automotive industry today is very good and remains as the pillar of the Mexican economy.

To support this statement, it details that in 2023 the trade balance of the sector stood at 108 billion dollars, while remittances and tourism together amounted to 84 billion dollars; That is, there is a difference of 23 billion dollars; At the same time, it directly and indirectly generates more than 20 million jobs in Mexico.

That is the relevance of the automotive sector in the development of Mexico. In the international situation, we are in one of the best historical opportunities and we have to take advantage of ithe pointed out.

Regarding the concept of electromobility in Mexico, he commented that There is only talk about whether we will sell more new technology vehicles, but that is not the debate. We are a country that produces and exports vehicles and auto parts. The discussion of electromobility in our country is how we transform that productive platform that is so consolidated in internal combustion vehicles into a productive platform of new technologies..

After considering that electromobility and the automotive sector will prevail as the country’s economic support, the director of the AMIA expressed that A vision is required of how to encourage investments in plants that produce new technology vehicles, whether new or retrofitted. The industry has been converting because we are advanced in converting to electric vehicles, but that is needed, investment in the production of new technology vehicles..

Review of the USMCA

Regarding the upcoming review of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (T-MEC), he mentioned that “obviously the automotive sector is the most challenging. Today, under the T-MEC, the sector faces the highest restrictions worldwide; we have very strict rules of origin and many requirements regarding labor content and steel and aluminum purchases.

What we want at least is for current conditions to be maintained. Care must be taken in the review that there is no attempt, specifically by the United States, to make the rules of the treaty more restrictive. We are the largest single sector of the T-MEC and the one that has achieved the most regional integration. We have also given competitive capacity to Mexico, the United States and Canada.