Mexico’s car production flat, exports down in December 2012

Mexico’s car-manufacturing sector produced 180,597 units in December 2012, 0.2% more than in the same month in 2011, according to domestic automotive association Amia.

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Vehicle output reached 2.88 million units for the whole of 2012, up by 12.8% from the 2.5 million units in 2011, Amia said.

Domestic sales decreased by 4.2% in December last year to 110,849 units.

This meant that the Mexican auto industry was not capable of reaching the 1 million units recently predicted by Amia’s president in an interview with Steel First, with the final figure at 905,886 cars.

Amia noted that exports dropped by 9.7% to 154,724 units in December.

In January-December 2012, sales abroad reached 2.3 million cars, up by 9.9% year-on-year, according to Amia’s figures.

Exports
Mexican automobile exports to the USA in December fell by 6.4% to 98,696 units.

Sales to Latin America decreased by 31.7% to 20,275 cars in December and exports to Europe fell by 10.9% to 15,390 vehicles.

Exports to Africa, meanwhile, reached 3,548 units, 322.9% more than in the same month in 2011, while sales to Asia rose by 50.3% to 3,364 units.