Mexico June Car Sales Jump; Trucks Languish

Having adapted to the higher taxes imposed earlier this year and with the government’s 4-year National Infrastructure Plan in place, Mexican consumer confidence rebounded in June, encouraging a record number of buyers to take home new cars.

The benchmark 54,722 cars that left dealers’ lots last month, at the rate of 2,280 on each of 24 selling days, marked an 8.4% increase from prior-year’s 2,101-a-day pace on then-record volume of 54,625 units. There were 26 selling days in June 2013.

However, that strength failed to carry over to the light-truck market, where sales of 29,304 units edged past year-ago’s 29,027 deliveries, but at 1,221 daily, fell 11.5% shy of the June record of 35,853 units sold in 2006 at a rate of 1,379 daily.

The weakness in the light-truck market, which is not expected to rebound significantly for at least several more months, until government spending begins in earnest, was enough to keep total light-vehicle sales from climbing to no better that third position for June.

Although LV deliveries of 84,026 units bested the 83,662 sold in June 2013, it posed no threat to the record 86,602 units sold in June 2006. Despite the fact average daily sales of 3,401 units last month surpassed the 3,331 sold daily in June 2006, total volume fell short due to the fact that 2006 had two additional selling days.

LV sales in the first half of the year totaled 499,695 units, just 0.3% under the 501,071 vehicles sold in like-2013.  

Increased local production this year is credited by Nissan from helping brand retain its lead over second-place Volkswagen 87,926 units vs. 77,403. Still, the Japanese automaker’s 10,771-unit edge is somewhat narrower than the 11,356-unit spread it maintained in January-June last year.

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