Mexico EV wave rising on US brands
Mexico is among the countries receiving the most foreign direct investments (FDI) related to the manufacturing of automobiles in 2023, and many of the new electric vehicles (EV) fleet managers should look out for are those from US-based automakers.
With production on the rise, there are nine EV models to look out for in the country, according to Directorio Automotriz, Mexico’s national automotive directory.
The main model is the Ford Mustang Mach-E of which production should increase 67% year-over-year to 130,000 units in 2023. It is one of the first mass produced EVs in Mexico, mobility news service Portal Movilidad reported.
More Mach-E units are being built at its Buautitlan factory this year to compete with another US giant, Tesla. The latter intends to produce more than one million EVs annually once its US$900 million Gigafactory is completed in Santa Catarina, Nuevo León. It intends to export these to Europe and South America.
Meanwhile, Ford’s U.S. counterpart General Motors will be producing 60,000 Chevrolet Blazer EV units and 30,000 Chevrolet Equinox EVs at its factory in Ramos Arizpe by June 2023. While the initial Blazer EVs will be for export, it will be introduced to the Mexican market in 4Q23. GM is investing US$1bn to convert its Coahuila complex into a Ultium platform production.
Chevrolet Blazer EV (left) and Equionox EV (right), courtesy of GM
The remaining six models reported by Directorio Automotriz are those from Chinese automaker JAC which has increased its production in the country by some 25%. They are the JAC E 10X with 1,140 units, JAC ESei 4 Pro (310 units), JAC E J7 (260), JAC E Sei 4 (190), JAC E SUNRAY (40), and JAC E X350 with 30 units expected to be produced in Mexico in 2023.
Different from the US OEMs, JAC is highly focused on the local Mexican market. In 2022, the best-selling EV in the country was the JAC E 10X of which 911 units were produced.
Summing up to 221,970 units, production of these three brands in Mexico is expected to jump 179% from the 79,471 units last year, mainly owing to the entry of the Chevrolet models.
| Model | 2022 | 2023 | 2023 uptick |
| Ford Mustang Mach-E | 77,897 | 130,000 | +67% |
| Chevrolet Blazer EV | n/a | 60,000 | new production |
| Chevrolet Equinox EV | n/a | 30,000 | new production |
| JAC E 10X | 911 | 1,140 | +25% |
| JAC Esei 4 Pro | 248 | 310 | +25% |
| JAC E J7 | 206 | 260 | +26% |
| JAC E Sei 4 | 155 | 190 | +23% |
| JAC E Sunray | 30 | 40 | +33% |
| JAC E X350 | 24 | 30 | +25% |
| Total | 79,471 | 221,970 | +179% |
Source: compiled by Fleet LatAm and Portal Movilidad, supported by data from INEGI, AMIA, INA, GM, Ford, and JAC.
Besides Tesla which has large scale production plans in the country, other OEMs to look out for in Mexico are Audi, BMW, BYD, Kia, Nissan, Stellantis, and Volkswagen.
For much more on the Latin American fleet and mobility ecosystem, mark 25 and 26 September in your calendar. That’s when the 2023 Fleet LatAm Conference will take place in Mexico City - with regional people, regional languages, and with an extended list of regional awards.
