Within four months of each other, Honda, Mazda and Nissan have opened new factories in Mexico, taking advantage of the opportunities within the nation's automotive industry to grow a new export base into the United States, Latin America and Europe while also gaining ground in the rapidly expanding local market, all in direct challenge to the Detroit Three and other automakers on both sides of the border.
Automotive News reports Mexico will become the No. 1 exporting nation to the U.S. by 2015 at the earliest in large part due to the 605,000 units per year added by the three Japanese automakers. Meanwhile, Toyota will begin production in 2015 at Mazda's newly opened Salamanca plant prior to deciding whether or not to build a new factory of their own. Nissan's premium brand, Infiniti, may also set-up shop in Mexico.
In turn, the Japanese will see benefits from the move, from mitigating losses from a weaker yen in exports from home and greater profit due to cheap labor, to no tariffs on exports to the U.S. due to the North American Free Trade Agreement and improved product availability resulting from shorter distances between markets.
Speaking of free-trade agreements, Japanese automakers will also have access to some 44 countries and up to 40 million sales annually as a result of Mexico's many agreements, allowing them to take on competitors in Latin America and Europe.
Finally, the Japanese have taken market share away from the Detroit Three in Mexico's own automotive market, holding a collective 42 percent over Detroit's 35 percent in 2013, when just four years earlier Detroit dominated with 57 percent of the market over Japan's 23 percent.
from The Truth About Cars http://ift.tt/Jh8LjA
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