With tariffs and trade in the spotlight globally, last weekend’s Expo Auto Estrenos seemed a bellwether of the auto industry in Mexico. President Claudia Sheinbaum just announced a move, still unapproved by Congress, to raise tariffs to a whopping 50 percent on imports of Chinese and some other Asian cars, car parts and various products.
Americans and Canadians visiting the show under Expo Guadalajara’s soaring rafters might have been struck by the number of unfamiliar makes, since northerners generally “have encountered cars from Chinese brands only on TikTok or while on vacation in another country,” as Consumer Reports notes.
But Chinese cars have seen meteoric sales increases in Mexico, starting from almost nothing in 2017 to 20 percent of light vehicle sales in 2024. This was evident at Expo, where Geely, BYD, Changan and others seemed to dominate makes such as Ford and Chevrolet. The U.S. vehicles, especially muscle-bound trucks, were more imposing than Chinese competitors, which overall were sleek, even the SUVs. (A line of BYD cars are named after sea animals, such as Seal and Dolphin, although BYD also has an elegant line named after Chinese dynasties such as Han and Song.)
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