Mexico’s car sales dropped by 59pc to 42,028 cars in May from a year ago because the automotive industry suspended production amid the COVID-19 crisis.
In May 2019, car sales reached 102,402 units, the Mexican Automotive Dealers Association said on June 3. Through the first five months of 2020, auto sales reached 373,608 units, declining by 30pc from 533,748 cars sold during the same period last year.
Nissan sold 8,752 cars last month, which decreased by 55.9pc from 19,840 vehicles sold in May 2019. General Motors sold 5,812 units in May, which declined by 64pc from 16,146 cars sold during the same month last year.
Volkswagen sold 4,171 cars in May of this year, down by 71.8pc from 14,794 vehicles sold during the same month in 2019, while Totoya sold 4,131 cars last month, also down by 35.6pc from 6,414 units a year ago. Ford sold 2,412 cars in May, a decline of 49pc from 4,727 vehicles sold in May 2019.
Some carmakers have already restarted operations in the country after the pandemic forced them shut for two months. Volkswagen just announced that it’s resuming activities June 15 at its plants in the states of Puebla and Guanajuato.
Mexico’s automotive industry was permission to restart production before June 1, provided they complied with health and safety protocols.