Mexico Light Vehicle Sales Rise 8.7% to Record January

Mexico’s light vehicle market got off to a strong start in 2026, with new vehicle sales rising 8.7% year over year in January to 131,472 units, according to data released by the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI). The result marks the highest January sales level in the historical series published by the agency and reflects both improved supply conditions and the continued expansion of model offerings in the domestic market.

INEGI reported that January 2026 sales exceeded the 120,953 units sold in the same month of 2025, based on figures from the Administrative Registry of the Automotive Industry of Light Vehicles (RAIAVL). The registry consolidates sales data from 22 companies affiliated with the Mexican Automotive Industry Association (AMIA) and eight non-affiliated companies, covering a total of 41 vehicle brands that manufacture and/or commercialize vehicles in Mexico.

Industry representatives said the January performance surpassed previous benchmarks. “The level of commercialization in January 2026 was higher than sales in the same month of 2017, the year in which the previous record was registered.” January sales were 6.5% above the 123,447 units commercialized at that time,” said Guillermo Rosales, Executive President, Mexican Association of Automotive Distributors (AMDA).

Rosales added that the market also exceeded AMDA’s own expectations. “With these figures, the light vehicle market in January was above what was estimated by AMDA, which stood at 123,741 units. The estimate  showed a 5.9% difference compared with the observed result of 131,472 units,” he said.

Sales momentum was driven by volume growth among several major automakers. Nissan remained the top-selling brand in Mexico during January, with 24,695 units sold, a year-over-year increase of about 22%. General Motors followed with 16,339 units, representing growth of roughly 4%. Volkswagen sold 11,195 vehicles, though this represented a decline of about 8% compared with January 2025, while Toyota recorded sales of 11,669 units, up 6.3%.

Other brands also posted gains. KIA sold 9,032 vehicles, an increase of 5%, while Mazda placed 8,704 units, up 11%. Stellantis reported sales of 8,106 vehicles, a rise of approximately 15%. Among Asian brands, MG Motor recorded one of the strongest growth rates, increasing sales by about 55% year over year to 6,198 units, positioning it as the eighth-largest seller in the Mexican market.

Hyundai sold 4,125 units in January, a 3.7% increase, while Honda recorded sales of 4,038 vehicles, up 17.5% from a year earlier. INEGI data also showed that Nissan and General Motors together accounted for a significant share of the national market, with Nissan holding approximately 18.8% and General Motors about 12.4%.

Chinese automakers continued to expand their presence in the Mexican market. In addition to MG Motor’s performance, Geely nearly tripled its January sales compared with the same period in 2025, reflecting accelerating acceptance of Chinese brands among Mexican consumers.

AMDA emphasized that the published figures do not yet include sales from several brands that do not report data to INEGI, including BYD, GAC, Chirey, Omoda, Jaecoo, Zeekr, and Lynk & Co. Rosales said that “if information from brands that do not report their figures to INEGI had been incorporated, new vehicle sales would have reached 139,865 units.”