The 50% tariff that Mexico imposed on Chinese-made cars on Jan. 1 appears to be working as intended, with imports falling sharply in the first month of 2026.

Data from China’s General Administration of Customs (GACC) shows that Chinese-made cars worth US $188 million were exported to Mexico in January, a 45.3% reduction compared to the same month of last year.

The newspaper El Economista, which first reported the GACC’s January data, wrote that imports of Chinese-made cars to Mexico peaked last November, with vehicles worth $1.06 billion brought into the country.

Compared to November, the slump in January was 82.3%.

On Jan. 1, Mexico imposed new and higher tariffs on a wide range of goods from China and other countries with which it doesn’t have free trade agreements. The Mexican Congress approved the tariffs — including an increase of the duty on Chinese-made vehicles from 20% to 50% — late last year.

According to the federal government, the main aim of the duties is to protect Mexican industry — including the country’s large auto sector — and jobs. The imposition of the tariffs on Chinese goods could help the Mexican government in this year’s USMCA review negotiations with the Trump administration, which has escalated the China-United States trade war and pressured Mexico to increase protectionism against China.

The government of China said late last month that it has the right to take countermeasures to the new tariffs Mexico imposed on Chinese goods at the start of the year. China’s Commerce Ministry said that Mexico’s new and increased tariffs affect more than US $30 billion of Chinese exports to Mexico. It said that around $9 billion of those losses would be borne by China’s automobile and auto parts sectors as Mexico was the biggest export destination for Chinese vehicles in 2025.

From top importer of Chinese-made cars to No. 16 in just 2 months

Last November, El Economista reported, Mexico was the world’s top importer of Chinese-made cars — an import category that includes vehicles made by Chinese automakers such as BYD and GWM as well as cars manufactured in China by foreign companies such as General Motors and Ford.

Just two months later, Mexico slumped to 16th on the list of the world’s largest importers of Chinese-made cars.

In January, imports of Chinese-made cars to Mexico accounted for just 1.7% of China’s total car exports, which were worth $11.12 billion, according to GACC data.

GACC data compiled by El Economista also shows that exports of Chinese-made cars to Mexico increased significantly during the past five years.

In 2021, imports of Chinese-made cars averaged $69 million per month before increasing to an average of $184 million per month in 2022. The average monthly outlay increased to $321 million in 2023, $365 million in 2024 and $529 million in 2025. The percentage increase in the average monthly value of Mexico’s Chinese-made car imports between 2021 and 2025 was 666%.

Chinese car sales surge despite import slump 

Despite the decline in the import of Chinese-made cars in January, the sale of Chinese cars increased significantly in the first quarter of 2026, according to data from national statistics agency INEGI.

Sales of nine Chinese car brands — including Chirey, Geely, MG, JAC, Changan and GWM — increased 25.3% annually to 42,808 units between January and March. The figure doesn’t include sales by BYD, which doesn’t report to INEGI, or sales of cars made in China by non-Chinese automakers. The Chinese cars sold in Mexico in the first quarter of the year were, in all likelihood, imported to Mexico before the higher tariff took effect.

Among the nine Chinese automakers that report to INEGI, MG sold the highest number of cars in Mexico in the first quarter of the year. It sold 14,504 cars, a 30.5% increase compared to the first three months of 2025.

Geely recorded the largest increase in sales among Chinese automakers. It sold 10,782 cars in Mexico between January and March, an annual increase of 272.2%.

Around one in five cars sold in Mexico in 2025 was made in China, according to data from INEGI and industry groups.

Imports of Chinese cargo vehicles fall 15.7% 

Mexico’s imports of Chinese-made cargo vehicles (i.e. trucks and other large vehicles used to move freight) also fell in January. GACC data shows that imports were worth $70 million in January, a 15.7% annual reduction.

Mexico was the fourth largest importer of Chinese-made cargo vehicles in January, after Indonesia, Vietnam and Australia.

With reports from El Economista