I tell people that you can put me on a street anywhere in the world and I’ll find something interesting. Therefore, it’s always a delight to travel to a new country and discover a new automotive landscape. Mexico may be right next door to the United States but their automotive landscape is vastly different, a curious melange of Europe, the United States and developing markets.
Nissan Versa, VW Gol and Chevrolet Chevy
First thing’s first: Renault-Nissan, General Motors and Volkswagen own the Mexican market. In 2015, 9 of the top 10 best-selling cars in Mexico came from those three automakers (the 10th slot was occupied by the Mazda3). During January-October 2016, Renault-Nissan held 25.1% of the market, followed by General Motors at 18.6% and Volkswagen at 16.1%. Then, there’s a big drop down to Ford, FCA and Toyota, each with 6.3%. Around 1.35 million cars were sold in Mexico last year.
As it is the wealthiest city in Latin America, there are more premium vehicles in Mexico City than in other parts of the country. Despite this, the usual German and Japanese luxury marques don’t enjoy the widespread popularity they do in North America. Part of this may be due to the lengthy absence of German automakers from the Mexican market due to government-imposed regulations demanding a level of local content. These were implemented in the early 1960s in the hopes of establishing a local industry, and subsequently led to an exodus of automakers from the country including Mercedes-Benz.
The more affluent chilangos (Mexico City residents) appear to prefer loaded crossovers, and the commercial districts of Reforma, Zona Rosa and ritzy Polanco abound with cars like the Lincoln MKC and MKX and the GMC Acadia and GMC Terrain Denali. Interestingly, I lost count of how many Terrains I saw and only one of them was a non-Denali model. Mainstream compact crossovers are also popular, the Chevrolet Trax ranking as the 15th best-selling car in 2015. While uncommon in Mexico City, the Big 3’s full-size pickups are also strong sellers, all in the top 30 last year.
By far the most common vehicle types in Mexico City (and Querétaro and San Miguel de Allende, where I also travelled) are subcompact and compact sedans. Indeed, every single taxi in Mexico City belongs in one of thse two classes. The most common are the Chevrolet Aveo – still manufactured and sold in Mexico – and the Nissan Versa and Tiida. The latter is the name for the previous-generation Versa sedan, still manufactured and sold in Mexico.
But there is one car that will stare at you from every street corner in both the cities and the countryside. That car is the Nissan Tsuru, a 1991 Nissan Sentra still manufactured in Mexico and enormously popular with taxi companies. It was the 5th best-selling car last year despite being little changed from 1991 apart from a new grille. It doesn’t even have airbags.
It’s that last point that shows why the Tsuru is finally facing the axe after a quarter century. The Versa is already doing a good job of supplanting it anyway and, besides, the Tsuru will remain a fixture on Mexican roads for years to come. The Tsuru story is too interesting to condense into two paragraphs so stay tuned for a more detailed piece.
Alfa Romeo MiTo
I didn’t know much about the Mexican market before travelling to the country, but I had received a vague indication that there were plenty of European brands selling their wares tantalizingly close to the US border. Well, I spotted a grand total of one Alfa Romeo and zero Skodas or Citroens. Peugeots are few and far between as well, although I did spot their developing market-oriented 301 sedan a few times.
Renault enjoys success in the Mexican market, arguably because the diamond logo is attached to inexpensive Dacias. So, the country is full of chunky, handsome Duster crossovers (#37 in 2015), Logan sedans (#66 in 2015)…
…and Sandero hatchbacks (#84 in 2015).
You will also find Asia-Pacific Renaults like the Fluence, also known as the Renault Samsung SM3…
Scala (left); Volkswagen Pointer (right)
…as well as its predecessor, the Scala. Regular European Renaults like the Clio (still sold in Mexico) and the Megane (not) are rare sightings.
Nissan sold a restyled Renault Clio Symbol sedan called the Platina from 2002 to 2010. Nissan also simultaneously sold a similar-looking sedan, the Aprio, which was a rebadged Dacia Logan. Oddly, the Aprio flopped while the Platina soared.
It’s easy to assume Volkswagen’s Spanish brand, SEAT, is popular in Mexico because it is Volkswagen’s Spanish brand. However, it’s also extremely likely the brand is popular because they just look so damn good.
The B-segment Ibiza was #19 on the sales charts last year while the C-segment Leon was #81. The Toledo sedan sat at #57.
The Spanish brand’s vehicles, until recently, were designed by Walter de Silva and employed a very fluidic and dramatic design language. On some of their vehicles, like this Leon, it looked lovely.
On their larger models, like this Altea, it wasn’t quite as successful. Now, SEAT has a more conservative and angular style. Curiously, Volkswagen has applied this style to vehicles from their eponymous brand as well as Skodas and Audis. Will this design commonality backfire on them eventually?
Another curious observation is how comparatively poorly Toyota seems to do in Mexico. By far the most common Toyota I spotted was the ungainly Avanza, a high-riding, van-type vehicle made for developing markets. It was the 40th best-selling car in Mexico in 2015, although the Corolla came in at #24, the Yaris at #30 and the RAV4 at #35.
2004-10 Chevrolet Tornado
North American auto enthusiasts often pine for the little car-based pickups of Latin America because of their compact dimensions, economy and versatility. In Mexico City, these cars are quite rare although I did spot more in Querétaro and San Miguel de Allende. The Chevrolet Tornado (#51 in 2015) was the most common, although Mexicans can also purchase the Volkswagne Saveiro and RAM 700, a rebadged Fiat Strada.
I’m frankly surprised how few Fiats I saw, knowing how popular they are in other parts of Latin America. With the Fiat Chrysler Alliance in existence, Fiats are now adopting the more popular RAM and Dodge nameplates. I’m fairly sure this will help as Dodge enjoys a great deal of residual popularity in Mexico, even if FCA’s market share has decreased over the years. Mexico City police cruisers are all 2011+ Dodge Chargers, with 2012+ Avengers used for traffic and auxiliary officers. You may also find some Nitros and Stratus sedans on the beat. Popular with civilians is the Journey crossover (#29 in 2015).
This is the hilariously-named Dodge Attitude, a rebadged Mitsubishi Mirage sedan. It was the 25th best-selling car in Mexico last year.
It replaced the old Attitude, a Hyundai Accent sedan. Previously, Chrysler sold the Hyundai Accent, Atos and i10 through Dodge showrooms. These would often still carry Hyundai badges but also a little badge that read “Imported for Dodge”, much like Mitsubishi captive imports in the 1970s. Now that Hyundai and Kia market and sell their own products in Mexico – since 2014 and 2015, respectively – Dodge has switched to sourcing from its own catalogue, as well as long-time quasi-partner Mitsubishi. Also, it’s remarkable how Hyundai and Kia have stormed the market. Together, the two brands hold as much market share as Toyota. Give them a little more time and they may pose a serious threat to Volkswagen and GM.
Ford used to enjoy a loftier sales position in the Mexican market but has seen their fortunes dwindle. The most common 21st century models you will find are the Ka city car, above, and the first-generation Fusion sedan. However, the new Indian-built Figo subcompact has gotten off to a strong start, currently sitting at number 16 on the sales charts.
The mixture of General Motors vehicles in Mexico is intriguing. For example, you will find the Daewoo Matiz wearing both Pontiac and Chevrolet badges.
Chevrolet Meriva
The Chevrolet Aveo and its Pontiac G3 twin were very popular but other Korean GMs, like the Chevrolet Optra, are few and far between. Before these came along, Mexican Chevrolet dealers sold Cavaliers before switching to the Opel Astra. Around the mid-2000s, Chevrolet Mexico also sold bowtie-badged Opel Corsas, Vectras and Merivas.
Chevrolet Corsa (left) and Chevy (right)
Perhaps the most ubiquitous GM vehicle is the Chevrolet Chevy, first introduced in 1994. It was a Mexican-built version of the Opel Corsa B and battled with the Nissan Tsuru to replace the old VW Beetle as Mexico’s favorite car. Sedan variants wore the Monza nameplate, truly a name that refuses to die. The Chevy range was sold up until 2010, receiving numerous facelifts along the way, before being effectively replaced by the Aveo and Spark. Interestingly, the Chevy outlived its replacement, the Chevrolet Corsa; the rebadged Opel Corsa C was discontinued in 2008.
The Chevrolet Spark is Mexico’s cheapest new car, which explains why it is currently Mexican consumers’ second favorite new car.
Mexicans also love domestic minivans, although newer minivans aren’t terribly common. The most common 21st century minivans are the Chevrolet Uplander and Pontiac Montana SV6, although Mopar and Ford minivans also abound.
Finally, Volkswagen, much like Nissan, possesses a sizeable amount of market share and offers a vast portfolio of vehicles. Consequently, Mexican consumers can choose from a range that includes European VWs like the up!, the Brazilian Gol, North American Jetta and the Indian Vento sedan.
The Vento in particular is proving to be a success, ranking 4th last year, ahead of the Jetta (7th) and Gol (16th). This Polo-based sedan is handsome if conservative, and is newer and fresher-looking than the Gol sedan.
When the Vento was launched in 2013 in Mexico, it replaced the Clasico. This was a Mexican-built version of the Mk4 Jetta and was one of Mexico’s best-selling cars for many years, just below the Nissan Tsuru and Chevrolet Chevy.
So, that gives you an idea of the newer metal you will find across the border. As you can see, Mexicans love conservative B- and C-segment sedans above all else. But this is Curbside Classic, after all, and you all must be very curious to see what old metal can be found on Mexican roads. Stay tuned for part two.
Related Reading:
The top 100 best-selling cars of 2015/16 in Mexico on Focus2move.com
The Curbside Classicos Of Tulum, Mexico – Old, New And Just Different
COAL: 2007 Nissan Versa – I Don’t Believe in Curses, But...
COAL: 2006 Pontiac Wave (Chevy Aveo/Daewoo Kalos) – The Worst New Car Of A Lifetime
Living in a US city near the border gives one a sampling of these vehicles, but nothing like what the writer presented. Upper-class Mexicans like to graze at our shopping mall & Costco. They dress better & often more conservatively. GM full-sized SUVs are popular; I’ve seen B-class VWs & Fords less often. A store clerk told me that Mexicans often buy retail goods here to resell down south.
Amazing how many choices the VW and SEAT family offer in Mexico. Add Skoda to the mix and there is a huge variety of interesting models available in the rest of the world. Great insight into what is available in Mexico, compared to the stingy amount of models VW sells in the US.
Nice write up.
True; for example, VW has never sold the Polo Stateside. Either it is too down-market for their brand image, or wouldn’t sell enough to be worthwhile. There’s not much benefit to this segment here besides price.
Imagine a Polo GTI though. It’d be fun. And they’re the size of the 1st generation of Rabbit from the late 70s.
I’d either buy a Polo GTI or a Polo diesel because I don’t need a big car.
Out in the world the punch buggy game has gotten ridiculous especially when you factor in all the VW sub brands like Skoda, Audi, Bentley and others and drive in a country that gets most of them its nearly every other car in some places and driving around the Nations capital in a Citroen means you just blend in spot the euro is even worse,
So there is a country that doesnt drink the Toyota cool aide there had to be one somewhere.
Austria too, where Toyota sells less than Mazda (and both far less than the Koreans). In fact, Europe as a whole has avoided that drink fairly well. Toyotas are thought of here as reliable but ever so dull cars and are usually bought by retired people.
Was really hoping to get one of the unique VW’s a couple months ago when I rented a car in Cabo, instead I was stuck with one of the truly miserable Mexican Aveos. At least it has strong AC, but that was it’s only redeeming factor.
As the author said, the number of Nissans, especially pickups, is amazing. You’d think with the ubiquity of Tacomas/Hiluxes everywhere else they’d thrive in the relatively difficult Mexican terrain, but I think I saw one Mexican tagged Hilux the whole trip, and every single Tacoma had a US plate, usually California. Beat to death Frontiers and old Hardbodies are the go to choice for locals.
I will say at least in Baja, the full sized pickup game still appears to be owned by the F150, seemed there was 10 for every 1 GM pickup.
F-150 is named Lobo in Mexico, hard to imagine why unless there was a trademark conflict.
I would say at least 95% of F-150’s in Mexico are actual US F-150’s, usually in white, with the faded English remnants of a former US business still visible on the side. Sold-new in Mexico Lobo’s were incredibly rare.
When a used US vehicle hits a decade old, there is no import duty. So, the F-150’s come from the plentiful used supply in SoCal.
Great pictures and nice variety of cars in the wild! From time to time I’ll check out the Mexican manufacturer’s websites to see models that we don’t have here in the U.S. It’s great to see the vehicles common in the big cities, but as you alluded to, some cities and towns that are smaller and closer to rural areas have a different mix of vehicles. Can’t wait for the old metal in part two!
What an interesting group of vehicles. My only foray south of the border was to Tijuana many years ago, and that trip didn’t afford a whole lot of opportunity to check out the local car culture. The wide array of economy grade models down there is impressive, for sure. I’m also intrigued by the Chevy Tornado, a model I never knew existed and now wish was available here.
Having lived in areas of Brooklyn, NY where the Latin population was the majority, I can attest to the popularity of Nissan, as older Sentras, Quests and Altimas were the defacto family cars for a large segment of my last neighborhood’s residents. A decade ago when I lived in a largely Latin-American area of Upper Manhattan it seemed that every third vehicle on the street was a Quest or Villager. There was a clear bias toward Nissan products, and giving credit where it’s due, these cars did seem to serve their purposes admirably, as there is still a fair sampling to be seen in daily use in those areas.
Did you live in Washington Heights?
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/curbside-classics/the-nissan-quest-and-mercury-villager-official-car-of-washington-heights/
Very cool, thanks for this tour of Mexico City. I’m a little surprised you didn’t see more body on frame SUVs and trucks, but then again, its more of a urban environment.
William, your global knowledge of vehicles never ceases to amaze me. I didn’t realize that GM is the player it is in Mexico. It would appear the diesel fiasco is likely a near non-issue in Mexico for VW. Markets like Mexico and South America may be what keep VW breathing while they get things squared away elsewhere.
Going to Mexico for work tomorrow. Another Tsuru taxi ride for me, amazing how fast those things can go and how many parts shake at 120 kph.
Doug, what type of work do you do? I set up assembly line equipment, and spent quite a bit of time in the “Chryler” assembly plant in Toluca, working on the JC49. At that time they were also building the PT, but that’s been switched over to the 500. Odd that I never see any of those while down there; I would think that that car would be popular. In Colombia I was familiar with the Duster / Logan / Santero; very popular there as well as in Brazil, but didn’t see many in Mexico. In the GM Ramos Arizpe plant I had a hand in the D2LC/JC, and will be back I’m sure for the UC. Also the T1 but not sure where that will be built. Anyway, I love getting sent to Mexico, always a good time. Have a Modelo Especial on me, por favor –
I am surprised that Toyota and Honda are not big players in Mexico. I suspected that VW would be a big player as they have a factory down there.
In my neck of the woods(aka the Balt/Washington DC area) the usual cars that are popular with the Latino community are Honda Accords/ Civics/ CR-Vs and Odysseys. Toyota Corolla/ Tacoma and Rav4 and Chevy trailblazers.
It is interesting to see that in the sea of cars in Mexico City a few familiar vehicles (such as the Chevy Express Van in the second picture and the Tempo , Escort, F series truck, 91-94 Chevy Cavalier and Ford Explorer Sport (I knew they offered a fiberglass bed cover for that truck)
Last year while visiting my local Junk yard for parts, in the customer parking lot was a Renault van that had Mexico City plates. It was a nice looking van.
Last time I was in Mexico was 1991. I was driving my 1977 Corolla.
Toyota was completely absent at the time. (Perhaps, as a latecomer, this is why they still don’t sell well). Renault and VW seemed to be the big sellers.
When I needed new pads on my front brakes (the endless mountains down there take their toll) there were no Toyota pads available. I jacked the Corolla up outside a curbside hole-in-the-wall repair shop and removed the pads. Inside, we matched them up against whatever he had in stock. Closest fit were pads from a Renault. The mechanic inside had to sand them down just a hair to fit. While there I had the rotors reground. We tied them on the back of the owner’s sons bicycle and he pedaled off with them to a neighborhood machine shop.
As I recall, labor charges were an insignificant amount while the pads cost about 4 times what they would cost stateside (which was typical, labor ridiculously cheap, parts ridiculously high).
Those pads were still in the car when I sold it in Vermont years later.
The Tsuru has actually changed a lot from the original 91 Sentra. Mostly for cost reduction. The taxi I sat had a hard touch dash, which may have not been the case of a US market Sentra (soft touch)
And as the OP said, they are EVERYWHERE. It helps that the engines use timing chains, the car is dirt cheap to fix and mechanics are familiar with them
What about delivery vans ? I heard there’s a Sprinter van with a VW badge.
VW had once a Sprinter version known in Europe as the Crafter (they might had sold under a different name in Mexico) but they ended that partnership with Mercedes from what I read on this French article. http://www.turbo.fr/actualite-automobile/582786-mercedes-fin-partenariat-volkswagen-sprinter-crafter/
That’s correct. Here’s the all-new VW Crafter, as usual available as a van and chassis-cab. It will also be offered as a MAN. They will be produced in a new VW plant in Poland.
The Vento looks pretty sharp. A 4 banger with 5 speed stick could make it fun to drive.
It could be VW’s entry point for a sub-compact in the US market. However, if imported from India, president-elect Trump would be pissed!! =;-}
Since it’s Polo-based, I doubt that’ll happen in any case. As mentioned before, I don’t know why VW has ignored this market segment here. When I got a brief ride in a Polo yrs. ago, I thought it was solid little car. Back then the issue would’ve been the US$/DM exchange rate, but why now with Latin American factories?
But the Vento looks so much better than the Corolla or Hyundai Accent which are so bland!! I was recently given an Accent as a rental and I couldn’t find it in the grocery parking lot because it looked so similar to other Asian small cars.
At least the Vento has some personality. And a slightly modified GTI version could return the fun in driving small cars which has been lost via CVT transmissions and electric power steering units. Right now, VW is too distracted to see the opportunity for a breakout compact car in the US market.
I wonder why VW is using the Vento name on a Polo based car since the original Vento was the global A3 Jetta and according to WIkipedia they still use the Vento nameplate for the A5 Jetta in Argentina?
I still can’t get over the Chevrolet Chevy.
Also, nice 510 wagon photobombing that Spark…