Mexican Heavy-Duty Truck Exports to the U.S. Roar Back

Borderlands Mexico: Exports of Mexican-made heavy-duty trucks to U.S. roar back

Mexico’s heavy-duty vehicle industry posted a sharp recovery in August, with production doubling and exports more than doubling from a year earlier. The rebound comes as demand in the United States improves alongside the freight market and as manufacturers with Mexican assembly plants increase output.

Mexican heavy-duty vehicle manufacturers produced 16,389 trucks and buses in August, a 100.2% increase from the 8,187 units built in August 2025, according to preliminary data released by Mexico’s National Institute of Statistics and Geography, or INEGI.

Exports rose even faster, reaching 14,310 vehicles, up 116.7% from 6,605 units a year earlier. The August figures represent a significant turnaround from weaker results earlier in the year, although production and exports remain only modestly higher on a year-to-date basis.

From January through August, Mexico produced 101,940 heavy-duty vehicles, a 2.6% increase from the 99,311 units built during the same period in 2025. Exports totaled 85,687 vehicles, up 3.7% from 82,620 a year earlier.

Cargo vehicles made up 97.6% of production through August, with 99,526 units. Passenger buses accounted for the remaining 2,414 vehicles.

The U.S. remains the primary destination

The United States continues to absorb most of Mexico’s heavy-duty vehicle exports. Through August, Mexico shipped 79,261 vehicles to the U.S., representing 92.5% of all exports. Canada followed with 3,809 vehicles, or 4.4%, while Colombia received 1,697 vehicles, or 2%.

That concentration makes the performance of the U.S. freight market especially important to Mexican production. As trucking demand improves, manufacturers in Mexico are positioned to supply a large share of the trucks entering the North American market.

Freightliner led the August production increase. The manufacturer built 10,240 vehicles in Mexico, up 133.1% from 4,393 units a year earlier. International produced 4,525 vehicles, a 100.8% increase, while Kenworth’s production rose 8.5% to 1,087 units.

Freightliner also led exports, shipping 10,073 Mexico-built vehicles abroad in August, up 151.4% year over year. International exported 3,877 units, an 89.6% increase. Kenworth exports declined 35.3% to 358 vehicles.

Other August production figures included Isuzu at 132 units, Mercedes-Benz Autobuses at 106, Hino at 105, Foton at 70, Volkswagen Camiones y Autobuses at 51, Volvo Buses at 49 and Dina at 24.

Industry faces aging fleet and trade-policy questions

The production rebound is occurring alongside concerns about Mexico’s aging truck fleet. The average age of the country’s fleet is 19.3 years, according to the Mexican Association of Bus, Truck and Tractor-Trailer Manufacturers, or ANPACT.

ANPACT has called for expanded financing, tax incentives and vehicle scrappage programs to support new-truck purchases. The organization has also raised concerns about used heavy-duty vehicles entering Mexico from the United States.

About 26,000 used heavy-duty vehicles entered Mexico from the U.S. in 2025, compared with approximately 29,000 in 2024. Imports declined 29.2% year over year during the first seven months of 2026, but ANPACT said roughly 53 used imported vehicles still enter Mexico for every 100 new vehicles sold domestically.

The association is also seeking greater certainty ahead of the review of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement and amid U.S. Section 232 tariffs. ANPACT supports increasing regional content under the agreement to 70% in 2027 while seeking lower tariff burdens for companies that meet North American content requirements.

For manufacturers, the trade rules affect decisions about plants, suppliers and production capacity across the integrated North American supply chain.

Nexio secures Texas production campus

In a separate development, Nexio Power has secured a 77-acre industrial campus in Anderson, Texas, for commercial truck production, finishing, testing and warehousing.

The Texas-based manufacturer of propane-powered commercial vehicles said the property includes approximately 180,000 square feet of existing production space and infrastructure suited to heavy-duty vehicle manufacturing. The previous operator used the site for large-scale fabrication and assembly.

Existing equipment includes paint and blast facilities, 13 overhead cranes, a dedicated testing complex and racked warehouse space. Nexio said the site will support complete vehicle assembly, including chassis preparation, powertrain and cab installation, superstructure work, wiring, plumbing, bodywork, painting and finishing.

The campus also will include quality-control operations, chassis dynamometer testing, repair and refurbishment work, and on-site propane Autogas fueling. Nexio’s vehicles and engines are intended for propane distribution and delivery operations as well as Class 5 through Class 8 fleets.

The Anderson facility, located along Highway 30 in Grimes County between College Station and Huntsville, will allow Nexio to begin production while the company develops a larger campus in Lufkin, Texas. Nexio said the Anderson site eventually will provide additional production capacity after the Lufkin operation comes online.

The company did not disclose the property’s purchase or lease terms, projected employment or an annual production target.