After more than a year of sluggish numbers, Mexico’s heavy-duty truck industry finally turned a corner in June — with production, exports, wholesale sales and retail sales all posting year-over-year gains at the same time for the first time since August 2024.
Mexican manufacturers built 15,262 heavy-duty trucks and buses in June, up 7.6% year over year, according to data from INEGI and Anpact. Exports rose 3.2% to 12,730 units — and nearly all of those exports are headed to the U.S., making American freight demand the industry’s main growth driver.
Freightliner and International lead the pack
- Freightliner: 9,379 trucks produced (+9.6% YoY), 8,745 exported (+6% YoY) — Mexico’s top producer and exporter
- International Trucks: 4,181 trucks produced (+11.6% YoY), 3,685 exported (+6.7% YoY) — the No. 2 spot
Still playing catch-up
June’s bounce doesn’t erase a rough first half. From January to June, Mexican factories produced 70,876 heavy-duty vehicles — down 13% from last year — while exports fell 14.5% to 58,260 units. Retail sales dropped 21.8%.
But the trend line is turning: wholesale sales jumped 45.5% year over year in June, and AMDA reported the industry’s first positive retail sales month of 2026 after 17 straight months of declines.
USMCA still looms large
Anpact President Rogelio Arzate credited improving U.S. freight demand and domestic fleet replacement for the rebound, but flagged that long-term investment still hinges on the USMCA review — and preserving current rules of origin. Anpact members already hit 64% regional content value and are on track for the treaty’s 70% requirement by 2027.
The association also renewed concerns over undervalued used-truck imports from the U.S. undercutting the domestic market, and said it’s working with Mexico’s Finance Ministry on reference pricing to address it.
Source: FreightWaves — “Mexico heavy-duty truck production, exports to US rebound in June”
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