Car sales in Mexico topped the 500,000 mark in light vehicle sales during the January-April period for the first time ever, according to the national statistics agency INEGI.

The sales figure represented a 4.8% increase over the same period in 2025 and topped the previous record for January-April set in 2017 when 493,823 light vehicles were sold.

Key to breaking the half-million mark was an especially strong April when light vehicle sales reached 118,859, which INEGI said was an 8.6% improvement over April 2025 sales. The 381,632 vehicles in the previous three months had represented an increase of 3.7% over the first quarter of 2025. 

Guillermo Rosales, president of the Mexican Association of Automotive Distributors (AMDA), said a primary factor driving car sales is “hyper-competition” among automotive brands. Adding to that healthy competition was the arrival of Chinese electric vehicles that stand out for their level of technology and connectivity. 

Also helping, Rosales said, was that the 50% tariff on vehicle imports from countries outside North America has not yet raised vehicle prices.

Among domestic automakers, Stellantis (up 15.8%), Hyundai (up 13.7%), General Motors (up 6%) and Volkswagen (up 5%) enjoyed the biggest sales increases. 

Nissan, No. 1 in sales in Mexico with a 17.3% market share, remained stable with just a 0.1% increase in April, while Toyota and Lexus boosted their cumulative market share to 8.1% by selling a combined 10,713 light vehicles in April.

Last month’s sales performance exceeded AMDA’s forecast of 113,124 units by 4.8% and was the best April for light vehicle sales since 2013.

Furthermore, AMDA speculated that since some brands (including Chinese carmakers BYD, GAC and Chirey) do not report their figures to INEGI, the overall April 2026 performance (including imported vehicles) might have actually been closer to 127,000 units. If accurate, this would represent an increase of 8.5% compared to April 2025 and would set a new record for sales in the month of April.

The newspaper El Economista reported that some Chinese brands enjoyed triple-digit growth last month, including Geely (283%), Changan (101%) and Jetour SOUEAST (610%). However, El Economista said Great Wall Motors and MG sales declined.

Rosales said the market share of Chinese brands has increased by up to 1 percentage point, with total volume rising by a similar amount. Total imports from China have increased by a similar amount. 

Expansión magazine attributed this to a more competitive offering in terms of price and equipment, as well as a faster expansion of their product portfolio. This combination has allowed some Chinese brands to overcome the original perception of low reliability that marked their entry into the Mexican market.

With reports from El Economista and Expansión