Mexico Sees Double-Digit Gains in October Production; Sales Climb

Mexico light-vehicle production climbed 15.8% to 292,728 units in October, compared with year-ago, as output for export rose 16.0% and domestic builds grew 15.1%.

Detroit Three production jumped 17.3% to 140,487 units. General Motors Mexico was up 30.8% and Chrysler Mexico climbed 26.9%. Ford Mexico dipped 3.4% as it ramped up for the all-new Fusion and Lincoln MKZ sedans at its Hermosillo assembly plant.

Among Asian auto makers, Nissan Mexico output increased 4.1% to 65,786 units, compared with year-ago, while Toyota Mexico and Honda Mexico saw gains of 3.2% and 9.9%, respectively. Volkswagen Mexico production surged 35.2% to 62,802.

Light-vehicle sales in the month jumped 9.6% to 82,898 units. Cars rose 7.8% and light trucks climbed 12.9%.

Detroit auto makers enjoyed a strong month, with combined deliveries up 28.1% to 17,493 units. Ford led car sales with a 38.1% spike, compared with like-2011. Chrysler and GM were close behind, up 31.2% and 25.9%, respectively.

Asian-brand car sales fell 8.8% to 18,810 units. Volume leader Nissan posted a 12.3% drop, while Toyota rose 2.9% and Honda jumped 16.4%. Mazda Mexico slid 16.2% and Subaru Mexico plummeted 76.0%.

Deliveries of European brands grew 12.3% to 16,759 units. Fiat sales surged 73.9% and VW climbed 15.5%.

Among individual nameplates, standout performers in October included the Chevrolet Aveo, up 134.6%; Honda Fit, up 367.5%; Nissan Altima, up 185.9%; Fiat 500, up 193.0%; and Volkswagen Beetle, up 86.9%.

In the light-truck segment, Detroit Three deliveries tumbled 5.8%, compared with like-2011, to 11,119 units. GM was down 6.2% and Ford slipped 13.4%, while Chrysler posted a modest 5.6% increase.

Asian auto makers’ light-truck deliveries climbed 23.6% to 15,034 units. Nissan saw the largest gain, up 41.5%. Toyota rose 27.2% and Honda was up 5.3%, but Mazda sales tumbled 47.8%.

European light-truck brands notched a 49.4% sales gain over year-ago to 3,683 units. Renault Mexico’s results surged 247.6% to 1,213, nearly overtaking volume-leader Volkswagen, up 8.1% to 1,371.

Light-truck models performing well in October included the Ford Econoline, up 102.5%; Dodge Journey, up 48.1%; Nissan Frontier, up 100.0%; Volkswagen Touareg, up 73.9%; and Suzuki Grand Vitara, up 108.4%.

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