Alexander Katsouris (Courtesy) This is an excerpt from the 2018 edition of Mexico Automotive Review. Q: What is Europartners’ vision regarding its development in Mexico, particularly in the automotive sector? A: The automotive sector represents approximately 45 percent of our cargo. With the significant growth and foreign investment in automotive in Mexico, our forecast is that this industry will grow to become 60 percent of our business by 2020. We will continue to invest in new offices in 2018 in Mexico, the US and Latin America (specifically in Argentina, Brazil, Honduras, Ni ..read more

Claudia Márquez (Courtesy) The industry welcomed a new member this week after Hyundai Motor México appointed Claudia Márquez as its new CEO starting on Nov. 1. Márquez has 24 years of experience in the automotive industry and will be responsible for managing all aspects of Hyundai’s business in Mexico, including its product strategy, sales, marketing, customer relations and distributor development programs.  Don’t miss our Interview of the Week with former Director General of Hyundai Mexico Michel Kaim. Domestic sales continue decelerating. To add insult to injury, on Oct. 17 the Cham ..read more

Michel Kaim (MAR) This is an excerpt from the 2019 edition of Mexico Automotive Review. Q: What are your top goals as the new Managing Director of Hyundai Motor de México? A: Hyundai operates based on three pillars that are the bases of our strategy: commitment, quality and customer service. We have an obligation to our stockholders and our distribution partners to make our business profitable. But, at the same time, our biggest commitment is to our customers and to Mexico in general. Although we have only four years selling vehicles under the Hyundai brand, our investments in the ..read more

A new industrial policy has been introduced by the Minister of Economy. Read more about it in our weekly roundup! Lexus LF30. Courtesy of Lexus After the private sector urged the Mexican Senate to revise the Chamber of Deputies’ proposal regarding the legalization of used car imports, the upper house of the Mexican Congress ruled against it. As for USMCA ratification process, OEMs are already preparing by adapting their processes to upcoming requirements. In this week’s Interview of the Week, Martin Josephi, Director General of Lamborhini, Aston Martin, Caterham & Morgan Mexico ..read more

This is an excerpt from the 2019 edition of Mexico Automotive Review. Martin Josephi (MBP) Q: How have your results evolved considering the overall growth of the luxury market? A: The exotic super-sports car (ESSC) market has enjoyed continuous growth for the past five years. Between 2012 and 2013, this segment was controlled by Lamborghini, Ferrari, Bentley, Porsche’s high-end line and Maserati. Since then, new brands have entered, including Aston Martin, McLaren, Rolls-Royce, Lotus and other smaller brands such as Caterham and Morgan. Practically all brands are now competing i ..read more

(Unsplash) The trade war between the US and China made room for Mexican automotive exports to the US, reaching an unprecedented surplus of US$66.7 billion from January to August this year, reported Reforma. Delays in the ratification of USMCA have caused uncertainty among companies settled in automotive states like Queretaro. Some players are girding their loins by cutting travel expenses and restricting business trips, said Director General of the Queretaro Automotive Cluster Daniel Hernández. However, the state will have to save some resources to add new hires to its workforce, with ..read more

This is an excerpt from the 2019 edition of Mexico Automotive Review. Q: What impact will the arrival of new brands have on the growth projections for the domestic market? A: The arrival of new brands to the market has been a constant in the last 20 years. In the 1980s, there were only five brands in the Mexican market, all of them competing with high prices and without true consideration for quality standards as in other international markets. Today, we have 52 brands that operate under strict standards that favor the end consumer. To put this in perspective, vehicle prices in Mexic ..read more

A yellow flag appeared as the industry reported production of 2.93 million vehicles between January and September 2019. This represents a 0.8 percent decrease compared to the same period last year. This is the first time there is such a decrease in production in 10 years since the global economic crisis of 2009 when the fall was of 37.7 percent. In addition, this was the lowest production volume reported by the sector in the past three years. Executive President of AMIA Eduardo Solís explained that this decrease is partly due to changes in production lines of some OEMs, coupled with the wea ..read more

While corporate scandals shook the industry at the global level, the automotive industry in Mexico remains firm. Read more! BMW’s SLP Plant The industry in Mexico stands its ground. ANPACT president, Miguel Elizalde, said the heavy-vehicle segment registered records on assembly and exports numbers. Volkswagen’s new Virtus model has also performed better than expected, selling almost 1,000 units in its first month in the market. Furthermore, BMW Group Latinoamérica inaugurated the first electric corridor in the country. Moreover, the business sector and the government are confident that U ..read more

Beyond its strengths as a car manufacturer and exporter, Mexico has a dynamic market that has attracted numerous brands both for the light- and heavy-vehicle markets. “The automotive sector is without a doubt one of the main motors of Mexico’s economy,” said Guillermo Rosales, Director General of AMDA, at the sixth edition of Mexico Automotive Summit, held on Wednesday. Panelists met at Sheraton Maria Isabel in Mexico City to discuss the reasons behind this growth and the opportunities for brands in the local market. “Mexico is a solid market that has attracted many brands,” said Gerardo S ..read more