Most of the news regarding the manufacturing of motorized vehicles coming out of Mexico in recent times has been related to automobiles. The production of transportation equipment in Mexico that includes trailers, buses and trains is also prodigious.

When it comes to discussions having to do with vehicle related production, most of the news emanating from south of the border these days is related to the burgeoning activity that is related to the production of passenger vehicles and auto parts.

It is less widely known, however, that the production of other classes of transportation equipment in Mexico contributes much to the country’s manufacturing economy For instance, Mexico produces approximately 140,000 trailers and buses on an annual basis. This data does much to explain the fact that, in terms of the production of transportation equipment,  Mexico  stands as the seventh largest manufacturer of these items globally, and holds the fourth position in the world among the ranks of exporters of transportation products such as trailers and buses. Not only does Mexico produce this equipment in significant volumes, but its manufacturers also comply with the most advanced global standards in terms of operating efficiency, safety requirements and emissions statutes.

The production of transportation equipment in Mexico is the work of some of the most important companies in this sector in the world. One firm, Dina, is comprised of Mexican capital, but the other major transportation equipment manufacturers operating within the country’s borders have foreign capital as their source. Among these are:

  • Freightliner
  • Hino
  • Navistar
  • Isuzu
  • Kenworth
  • Mack
  • Scania
  • Volvo
  • Man
  • Mercedes Benz

These firms have their headquarters in the United States, Sweden, Germany and in Japan, as well.

Among other companies that either make or import trucks into Mexico, are::

  • Ford
  • General Motors
  • Chrysler
  • Volkswagen
  • FAW (China)
  • Hyundai

In addition to light vehicles, these firms are also engaged in production of transportation equipment in Mexico that includes class 4, 5 and 6 medium duty vehicles, as well as Mexican made class 7 and 8 heavy duty transportation products.

The production of transportation equipment in Mexico became increasingly diverse when the president and general director of Bombardier Transportation, Lutz Bertling, recently announced that his company will soon initiate the production of trains that will be used in urban transportation projects in Mexico, as well as throughout  major cities in Latin America. The production of transportation equipment in Mexico for Latin America will take place at Bombardier Transportation’s plant in Ciudad Sahagun, Hidalgo. The majority of the production from this plant will go to fill orders that were earned as a result of successful bids that were tendered to the cities of Lima, Peru and Bogota, Colombia.

In addition to supplying the Latin American market with this mode of public transportation equipment, the Bombardier Sahagun plant also has received and filled orders from urban transport authorities in the State of New Jersey and the Canadian Province of Ontario.

As is the case with the growing economic activity surrounding the steady increase of passenger vehicles in Mexico, the opportunity for suppliers to participate in production of transportation equipment in Mexico is sizable, at present, and projected to be characterized by a growth trend in the future.