Mexico's heavy truck sales drop 15% in May; diesel units most sought

The Mexican market experienced a significant downturn in heavy truck sales during May, with retail sales dropping 15.6% year-over-year to 2,840 units, according to data from Inegi. This decline continues a trend seen in the first five months of the year.

From January to May, a total of 12,878 heavy vehicles were sold, marking a 26.3% decrease compared to the same period in 2025. This represents a shortfall of approximately 4,600 trucks. Guillermo Rosales Zárate, executive president of the Mexican Association of Automotive Distributors (AMDA), noted that all truck classes and segments saw annual declines.

The current sales figures are even below pre-pandemic levels, with May sales down 27.4% compared to May 2019. Despite the overall slump, diesel trucks remain the dominant choice for buyers, accounting for 12,665 units sold in May, or 98% of the market. Electric trucks followed with 119 units (0.9%), hybrids with 92 units (0.7%), and natural gas with just two units (0.02%). No gasoline-powered heavy trucks were sold.

AMDA has revised its sales forecast for the end of the year to 38,425 heavy vehicles, excluding intercity buses sold directly by manufacturers. This projection indicates a slight growth of 0.3% compared to 2025. Several factors are contributing to the market's weakness, including rising unit costs due to new technologies, the import of used heavy trucks from the U.S., cargo theft, and limited access to financing for transporters.