Mexico’s heavy-vehicle industry suffered a steep downturn in February, with production, exports and domestic sales all posting significant year-on-year declines, reflecting growing weakness across the country’s truck manufacturing market.
According to figures released by Mexico’s National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI), the country produced 6,974 heavy vehicles in February, down 49.1% compared with the same month in 2025. Exports also dropped sharply, falling 32% year on year to 7,849 units.
The decline offers a broader indication of the North American freight cycle. Mexico plays a strategic role as a production hub for tractor-trailers used by U.S. fleets operating across the U.S.-Mexico border. When freight activity slows in the United States or transport operators delay fleet renewal, Mexican production and exports tend to weaken in parallel.
Domestic demand also deteriorated significantly. Retail sales totaled 2,303 units in February, representing a 38.9% decrease from a year earlier. Wholesale sales fell 27.3% to 1,836 units.
For the first two months of 2026, Mexico produced 13,767 heavy vehicles, down 50.5% year on year. Exports over the same period reached 12,925 units, a decline of 42.6%.
Industry officials say the downturn reflects a prolonged contraction in Mexico’s domestic truck market. Cristina Vázquez, coordinator of economic studies at the Mexican Association of Automotive Distributors (AMDA), said the sector has now recorded 14 consecutive months of year-on-year decline.
She noted that weakening fixed gross investment, particularly in machinery and equipment, is also weighing heavily on truck purchases.
Production losses were felt across nearly all segments of the heavy-vehicle market. Of the 6,974 units produced in February, 6,739 were cargo trucks and tractor-trailers, while 235 were passenger buses. Cargo vehicles represented more than 97% of total heavy-vehicle production during the first two months of the year.
Although exports remained far below last year’s level, they did show some sequential improvement from January. Data from the National Association of Bus, Truck and Tractor-Trailer Producers (ANPACT) showed that February exports were more than 50% higher than the previous month.
Alejandro Osorio, ANPACT’s director of public affairs and communication, described the rebound as an encouraging but still preliminary sign. He warned, however, that the industry continues to face an unstable global environment affecting both demand and competitiveness.
The United States remained by far the largest export market, accounting for 91.3% of February shipments, followed by Canada with 5.7% and Colombia with 2.6%.
Among manufacturers, Freightliner remained the top producer and exporter in Mexico during the month, building 5,538 trucks, down 32% year on year, and exporting 5,264 units, a drop of 31%.
International Trucks ranked second, producing 307 trucks, a sharp 91% decline from a year earlier. Its exports fell 31% year on year to 2,251 units.
Industry representatives also warned that rising imports of used trucks from the United States are distorting the domestic market. Osorio said that for every 100 new heavy vehicles sold in Mexico, around 64 used trucks enter the country.
He added that many of these imported vehicles have already accumulated hundreds of thousands of miles, raising both environmental and safety concerns.
AMDA executive president Guillermo Rosales said the sector is also dealing with geopolitical uncertainty and fuel price volatility. He nevertheless expressed hope that demand could stabilize later in the year as domestic and export markets gradually recover.
