As Mexico’s automotive production ecosystem continues to recover and reposition for a shifting economic environment, Guanajuato maintains automotive leadership thanks to a solid performance in production and new investment.
Recording 828,544 units between January and November 2025, Guanajuato maintains automotive leadership as Mexico’s leading producer of light vehicles, a distinction it holds by a wide margin over other states where automotive production is significant, including Aguascalientes, Coahuila, and Puebla.
Driving Global Competitiveness
Driving this performance are the operations of four automakers:
* General Motors (Silao) at 293,531 units, led by the Silverado Double Cab (136,319 units) and Sierra Double Cab (124,881 units).
* Mazda (Salamanca) with 164,918 units, led by the CX-30 at 101,242 units.
* Toyota (Apaseo El Grande) at 190,866 units, with a standout 153,034 Tacoma pickup trucks produced (a key export model for Toyota in North America) and 37,832 hybrid Tacoma HEV units.
* Honda (Celaya) with 179,229 units, led by its HR-V model at 148,537 units and then by the new Acura ADX with 30,692 units.
As for plant utilization, data from El Economista underscores a region with diverse models and strong operational efficiency. For example:
* Honda Celaya is at 97.76% utilization for its 200,000-unit capacity facility.
* Toyota and GM plants are at just below 80% utilization.
* Mazda vehicles are at 71.96%.
What is more, amid global headwinds that include supply chain volatility, tariff and trade pressure, uncertain logistics and freight disruptions, and a rapidly shifting automotive commercial and product landscape, these utilization rates are indicative of a region maintaining a healthy pace of production despite all these factors. On the outlook for year-end numbers, while Guanajuato will fall short of its 2024 historic record of 913,120 units, the state is on pace to close the year with a volume between 870,000 and 884,000 units (a -1.7% to -4.7% decline vs the previous year). Even so, Guanajuato maintains automotive leadership as it also plays a key role in North America’s automotive supply chain and value-added mix—particularly the export of pickups and SUVs.
Likewise, the momentum of automakers such as Honda and Toyota with new hybrid vehicles and next-generation platforms in particular continues to strengthen the strategic position of the state within an industry rapidly transitioning towards electrification.
Magnet for Investment: Guanajuato Adds Over USD 260 Million and 33 Automotive Projects in 2025
In addition to installed capacity, Guanajuato maintains automotive leadership in investment attraction, with the highest number of announced projects in 2025.
Specifically, the state counted 33 projects announced and in the process of development through September 2025. By comparison, next was Querétaro with 26. In value, Guanajuato also had the highest announced investment between January and September 2025, at USD 262.12 million, according to the Automotive Investment Report Q3 2025 from Cluster Industrial.
Cumulatively, these 33 projects represent more than 3,000 new jobs and 323,495 m² of industrial construction and continue to reaffirm the state’s position as an attractive destination for advanced manufacturing, electronics, structural components, and electromobility.
From the first through the third quarter of 2025, some of these new investments included:
* Cheersson (Ruima Precision): Precision metal forming plant for auto parts in Apaseo el Grande, with an investment of USD 3.4 million and a built-up area of 52,297 m².
* Forvia Hella: USD 15.4 million for a new electronic units and remote key fob production plant in Amexhe.
* Mubea (Germany): USD 60 million for precision steel tube manufacturing in Celaya (18,000 m² industrial space).
* Ampure (USA): USD 4 million for expansion in León in support of electric-vehicle charger production.
* Pangea Made and Waldaschaff (Germany): León expansions for production of interiors and vehicle impact-structure components.
Announced projects through the fourth quarter of 2025 in Guanajuato included:
* SH PAC (South Korea): USD 40 million in investment for a new production plant in León and 120 new jobs.
* Sinoboom (China): Record USD 150 million investment for its new plant in Guanajuato Puerto Interior, creating 700 new jobs.
* Taigene (Taiwan): Expansion in the Colinas de León I with an investment of USD 33.4 million.
* Tongling México (China): USD 91 million for a new plant in Marabis Castro del Río that will have up to 540 jobs created through two phases of operations.
These investments contribute to not only the state’s potential to surpass the national production record of 913,000 units set in 2024 in 2026, but also to expand its industrial profile in advanced technologies, precision manufacturing and components with increasing relevance to the energy transition.
Conclusion
In a year marked by numerous changes for the automotive industry, Guanajuato maintains automotive leadership not only through production volume but through an ecosystem of manufacturing, innovation, and competitiveness with global resonance. With strong production from automakers that continue to lead the Mexican market, increasing output of next-generation vehicles and hybrid models, high plant utilization rates, and foreign and domestic investment, Guanajuato is setting the future of the automotive industry for the rest of North America. As it deepens its industry in electromobility, advanced manufacturing, and strategic integration into the auto sector’s supply chain, Guanajuato is positioning itself to remain a force to be reckoned with in Mexico’s industrial future and an essential player in the automotive sector’s next ten years.