Mexico Car Sales, Production Rise in October

Mexico vehicle production in October rose 12.0% to 251,246 units, buoyed by a 15.8% gain in domestic production and a 10.9% uptick in export output.

Detroit Three production rose 4.4% to 119,808 units. Chrysler Mexico’s was up 29.5%, while Ford Mexico was up 2.5%. General Motors Mexico builds slipped 7.4% to 43,391.

Suzuki SX4 sales up 87.6%.

Related document: Ward’s Mexico Production by Vehicle line

All Japanese auto makers posted higher build rates in the month. Honda Mexico was up 14.0% over year-ago to 5,258 units, while Toyota Mexico was up 12.7%. Volume-leader Nissan Mexico led the pack with a 20.9% production surge.

Mexico’s new-car sales in October jumped 12.6% from year-ago to 49,200 units, while light trucks fell 3.8% to 26,435. Total light-vehicle deliveries were up 6.2%.

Related document: Ward’s Mexico Car and Light Truck Sales by Line and Brand

Detroit auto makers recorded 13,652 new-car sales in the month, for a combined 0.4% decline from like-2010. GM and Chrysler saw increases of 2.5% and 6.7%, respectively, while Ford deliveries fell 21.6%.

Asian auto makers combined for a 27.0% hike in new-car deliveries to 20,627 units. Suzuki Mexico led on a percentage basis, up 66.7%. Volume brands such as Toyota and Honda saw shortfalls of 3.2% and 14.1%, respectively, while Nissan deliveries climbed 36.8% to 14,831.

Standout nameplates included the Ford Focus, up 38.3%; Honda Civic, up 103.5%; Suzuki SX4, up 87.6%; and Renault Scala, up 69.3%.

In the light-truck category the Detroit Three all posted declines, with total deliveries falling 15.0% year-over-year to 10,044. GM took the biggest hit with a 29.4% drop, followed by Chrysler, down 12.2%, and Ford, down 9.8%.

Asian makers outperformed their U.S.-based counterparts in October. Honda’s light-truck sales grew 80.1% to 3,015 units, while Mazda Mexico posted a 37.9% gain to 931.

Models with impressive sales for the month included the Ford Explorer, up 143.1%, Honda Odyssey, up 367.3%, and Mazda CX-7, up 68.3%.

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