Plastic producers and manufacturers in Mexico project a 12 percent decrease in automotive exports, due to tariffs imposed by Donald Trump, president of the United States.
Although the tax tariff was reduced from 25 percent to 15 percent for those vehicles that comply with the rules of origin of the TMEC, the economic impact is inevitable, said Fernando Gutiérrez, director of Polykemi Mexico.
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“One of the advantages we have today is that cars made in Mexico with 40 percent of American content will pay only 15 percent, but this will impact exports, where a 12 percent drop is expected, as well as a reduction of up to 4 percent in the national GDP,” said the manager.
The United States government has reduced the tariff of 25 percent to 15 percent, subject to compliance with the rules of origin of the TMEC, but also the implementation of tariffs will impact exports, he recalled.
Given the recent imposition of tariffs by the United States government to the automotive sector, the National Association of Plastic Industries (Anipac) presented the main innovations in additives and compounds used in the manufacture of plastics.
These materials play a crucial role to provide resistance, functionality and versatility to the plastic products used in key industries such as automotive, where its presence covers more than 85 percent of the production processes.
During the first Additives and Compounds forum, representatives of companies such as Polykemi Mexico, Lyondellbasell, as well as the Mexican Association of the Automotive Industry (AMIA) approached the challenges facing the sector in front of the tariff landscape.
Despite tariffs, the Mexican market has not been seen with great affectation in the demand for compounds and raw materials for the manufacture of all auto parts. On the contrary, they provide a slight increase in demand due to projects from Europe and China.
“The Chinese cars are arriving in Mexico and we will see different models or platforms of Chinese manufacturers, it is also projected to install plants to assemble their cars in our country,” Gutierrez said.
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There is an increase in the use of recycled resins for the manufacture of auto parts, which contributes to a reduction in the carbon footprint, while plastic is an essential material in cars manufacturing by reducing its weight, he added.
“In the midst of tariff uncertainty, automotive shipowners in Mexico are being forced to stop cars, to transfer their production to their plants in the United States, but have chosen to maintain investments in the country and assume the tariffs of the cars made in Mexico to continue exporting,” he said.
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According to AMIA data, the automotive industry is the main generator of foreign direct investment, since in 2024 it represented 26 percent of the entire capital injected into the Mexican economy.
At least 19 percent of foreign direct investment was aimed at manufacturing cars and trucks, while 7 percent went to manufacturing and production of auto parts.
