Sales Trends, Nissan's CEO, Bajio Boost: The Week in Automotive

This week's highlights include the second part of our interview with José Román, President of Nissan Mexicana, Mexico's top seller for more than 10 years! Do not miss the latest figures sales trends; spoiler: sales continue to slow recovery due to the third wave of COVID-19.

In other news, do not miss our interview with Director General of CLAUZ, the automotive cluster of the Puebla-Tlaxcala region. Monica Doger explains the priorities of its members in the post-pandemic world. Meanwhile, the Bajio area continues to grab important investments.

Ready? This is the week in automotive!

Nissan Mexicana: A Legacy of Technology

In the second part of our interview with José Román, President of Nissan Mexicana and NIBU, the automotive leader shared his priorities for the industry's megatrends, including electromobility, vehicle autonomy, shared mobility and connected vehicles. "Globally, Nissan has announced that it will be carbon neutral by 2050."

Sales Drop During COVID-19 Third Wave

Light-vehicle sales dropped in July as the COVID-19 third wave took off in Mexico. This drop follows June’s recovery, which was the second most successful month of 2021 with 87,088 units sold. The path to recovery in the automotive industry has not been easy. In terms of production and exports, companies have recovered some ground but have failed to reach their pre-pandemic levels.

Automation, HR, Supply Chain, Clean Energies Priorities for CLAUZ

Director General of CLAUZ, Mónica Doger, explained the cluster's priorities in the post-pandemic world. Under a new president, clusters members continue to address industry challenges caused by supply chain disruptions. "The pandemic disrupted global supply chains, not just those in Puebla, Tlaxcala or Mexico. The demand for semiconductors has also impacted many sectors due to the increased demand for computers, phones and other communication devices," she told MBN.

Bajio Targets Automotive, Agriculture Industries

Following the creation of business platform “MAS México” by the governments of Queretaro, San Luis Potosi, Guanajuato, Aguascalientes and Jalisco, the states have announced plans to capitalize on the automotive and agriculture industries in the region. During the launching of the new module “Por Más Hecho en México,” Manuel Alejandro González Martínez, Aguascalientes’ Minister of Economic Development, explained that the alliance wants to exploit the automotive and agricultural industries, which altogether represent 17.6 percent of the region’s GDP.

Volkswagen to Buy French Car Rental Company Europcar

On international roads, Volkswagen is taking a proactive approach toward shared mobility. The company is getting close to acquiring 100 percent of car rental company Europcar’s stocks. Both enterprises, which have an important presence in Mexico, could work a US$3-billion deal, according to multiple sources. Europcar has offices in 150 countries around the world including Mexico, where it has been present since 2003 and now has 125 branch offices and 2,500 cars.