MEXICO CITY—The growing popularity of Chinese sport utility vehicles and pickup trucks has shaken up Mexico’s luxury car market, hitting sales of traditionally dominant brands such as Mercedes-Benz and BMW.
According to industry experts, Mexicans are increasingly switching from traditionally dominant sedans to Chinese vehicles due to a combination of comfort, technology and price.
It is no small feat in a country home to factories of foreign brands such as Audi and BMW, and where until a few years ago imported Chinese cars were stigmatized, as in other parts of the world.
According to the Mexican Association of Automotive Distributors (AMDA), the high-end segment of the market registered a sales drop of 8.1 percent from January to November.
Motornation, which sells the BAIC, JMC and Changan brands in Mexico, saw an 8.8-percent increase in sales in the first 11 months of this year, while those of Jetour rose 131 percent, it said. Chinese firms now control 9.3 percent of the Mexican market, according to the AMDA. AFP
