Evolution of the Mexican automotive industry

The aim of this paper is to analyze the historical dynamic that has led the automotive industry to its current specialization. The document is organized in five sections. The introduction presents a general overview on the sector, from ranking position to the transition from ISI period to export orientation until NAFTA integration. The second part analyses the evolution of main variables from the 2000 until now. It will focus on production, market orientation and imports, segments and firms. The third part presents the backward linkages. The fourth section discusses employment and labor relation issues. The fifth one concentrates on local development towards regional location and innovation ecosystem model. Finally, it presents some conclusions towards challenges and opportunities.