Heavy truck production in Mexico rose 9.0 percent year-over-year in July to 17,791 units, the seventh consecutive annual increase and the slowest growth rate so far this year, according to SteelOrbis analysis of the data from the national statistics office Inegi.
Most (86.0 percent) of the production was concentrated in two companies: Freightliner with 54.4 percent and International Truck with 31.6 percent.
Heavy truck exports increased 7.7 percent to 14,016 units, the lowest growth rate in the first seven months of the year. Freightliner contributed 61.6 percent of total exports and International Truck contributed 34.6 percent.
Accumulated production in the first seven months was 131,317 units and exports totaled 105,331 trucks, figures that represented annualized increases of 22.0 and 18.3 percent, respectively.
According to Inegi, the United States was the main export market, buying 95.8 percent of the heavy trucks sent for foreign trade from January to July.
Retail sales in the Mexican market increased 42.8 percent, year-over-year, in July to 4,334 units, the strongest July of the last four years.
In the accumulated seven months, 28,828 units were sold, 33.1 percent more, compared to the same period last year.
The production information from Inegi comes from the 10 companies affiliated with the National Association of Bus, Truck and Tractor Producers (ANPACT) and from the unaffiliated company, Sparta Motors, which is owned by China's Shaanxi Automobile.