The US government has imposed rates of 25 percent on all imports from Mexico and Canada. The measure promoted by Donald Trump threatens the free trade system that the three countries have maintained for more than 30 years.
Even before confirmation that the rates came into effect on March 4, Marcelo Ebrard, head of the Mexican Ministry of Economy, warned that these taxes would represent an estimated cost of $ 20.5 billion for around 89 million US families. He also warned of the possible inflatory impact on products such as computers, televisions, refrigerators, agricultural products, car parts and vehicles.
Mexico is an important trading partner for the United States. Between January and November 2024, the Mexican export was $ 466.6 billion, while the American export reached $ 309.4 billion.
In Mexico, these rates will in particular affect the car and electronics industry, which represent around 46 percent of Mexican exports, with a combined value of around $ 200 billion.
The car -industry is in danger
The automotive industry has shown considerable regional integration among the United States-Mexico-Canada agreement (USMCA). With this agreement, foreign companies that produce in Mexico or Canada can use locally produced materials to export their products to the United States at low tax rates.
The Trump government argues that this condition was used by China to benefit the car industry. Mexico has become the third largest exporter of vehicles worldwide. Between 2022 and 2023, sales grew by 14.3 percent and reached a value of $ 188.9 million, according to the World Trade Organization. Most of these units are sent to the United States, although the origin of many can be traced to China, which has established itself as the most important car supplier of Mexico, with $ 4.6 billion export in 2023, according to the Ministry of Economy.
The National Auto Parts industry of Mexico has warned that the imposition of rates for Mexican import will weaken trade, reduce competitiveness in the region and influence economic stability. In a statement it emphasized that the car and car sector is a pillar of North -American export, with the capacity to generate more than 11 million jobs in the USMCA countries. The association foresees that assemblers in Mexico can reduce production this year by no fewer than 1 million units because of the new taxes that would affect the availability of product, job creation and the supply chain.
The most important states that produce automotive parts in Mexico are Mexico City, Chihuahua and Nuevo León. Experts say that the most affected companies would be assemblers of us, Japanese and European descent. Ebrard has estimated that the new tax burden would hit 12 million households in the United States, with an increase in spending of a maximum of $ 10.4 billion in this area. As an example, he pointed out that 88 percent of the pickups sold in the United States comes from Mexico and are collected by companies such as General Motors, Ford and Stellantis.
The Minister of Economy emphasized that the rates would represent the American shootings in the foot, because it would directly affect its own car companies, which depend on Mexican production to deliver their domestic market.
Electronics -prices rise
The electronics and devices sector will also be influenced. In November 2024, the Mexican export of electrical and electronic equipment reached $ 8.9 billion, of which 89 percent were intended for the US. The production of these devices is concentrated in Baja California, Chihuahua and Nuevo León, where thousands of jobs and assembly plants can be endangered.
Trump's rates will have important implications for American consumers. A SEC study estimates that the extra levy would cost an extra $ 7.1 billion for 40 million families buying computers. Similarly, it is expected that around 32 million households up to $ 2.4 million more would pay when purchasing new monitors, and around 5 million families would take an additional cost of $ 817 million when buying refrigerators.
