Automotive Industry Supply Summit 2026 Solidifies Querétaro as Automotive Hub

Mexico Maintains Global Leadership in Auto Parts

During the opening ceremony, the National Auto Parts Industry highlighted that Mexico is at a decisive stage within the automotive sector. The country maintains a global leadership position in auto parts, with a production value of $119 billion in 2025.

Additionally, Mexico accounts for 43.7% of the United States’ auto parts imports and ranks fourth globally as an exporter in the sector. These figures position the Mexican industry as a key player in the North American supply chain.

However, the summit also made it clear that future competitiveness will depend on elevating the technological value of production. Consequently, the industry must not only strengthen its manufacturing capabilities but also advance towards components linked to software, electronics, electromobility, digitalization, and new industrial technologies.

Leading Companies Participated in Querétaro’s Industrial Agenda

The IAISS 2026 agenda included participation from authorities from the Secretariat of Economy, the Government of the State of Querétaro, and the Government of the State of Tamaulipas. It also brought together leading companies from the automotive, manufacturing, and technology supply chains.

Among the participating companies were ZF Group, Nissan Mexicana, KIA México, Harman, BorgWarner, and BASF, in addition to organizations and specialized firms such as the Mexican Association of the Automotive Industry (AMIA), RCG North America, AJR Foreign Trade, Forum CRE, AIAG, NSF, the Market Verification and Surveillance Observatory, and Ansley International Consultants.

This diversity of stakeholders allowed for an examination of the sector’s transformation from various perspectives: production, export, supply, trade compliance, innovation, sustainability, and new North American competitiveness rules.

Nearshoring, Electromobility, and Digitalization Dominated Discussions

The event included B2B matchmaking sessions, industrial exhibitions, and specialized conferences. Key themes included nearshoring, trade compliance, advanced manufacturing, electromobility, digitalization, sustainability, supply chain, and new competitiveness regulations.

Additionally, topics such as deep regional integration, opportunities for the automotive industry in Mexico, supply chain resilience, manufacturing innovation, process sequencing, integrated waste management, and the development of Tier 1 suppliers were analyzed.

States Analyze Challenges Amidst USMCA Review

One of the strategic components of IAISS 2026 was the SEDECO’s 2026 Strategic Seminar, titled “Preparing States for the Reconfiguration of the North American Automotive Supply Chain.” This forum brought together representatives from state governments, business organizations, and technical specialists.

The seminar focused on the changes the industry will face with the USMCA review, increasing demands for regional content, and the need to strengthen local capabilities. In this regard, scenarios of the agreement’s review, risks and opportunities for states, and origin rule criteria were discussed.

The regionalization of strategic inputs such as steel, aluminum, critical minerals, electronics, batteries, and semiconductors was also addressed. These elements are crucial for Mexico to advance towards a more regionally integrated automotive supply chain with greater national content.

Local Supply Chain is Key to Competing in North America

IAISS 2026 also emphasized the use of automotive supply chain intelligence tools to connect local companies with real demand from OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers. This point is significant because Mexico’s competitiveness will largely depend on its ability to develop more specialized suppliers.

During the event, specialists agreed that Mexico maintains competitive advantages in automotive exports, manufacturing, and supply. However, they also warned that the country faces the challenge of increasing the technological value of its production.

With this edition, Querétaro reinforced its position as a host for industrial events related to advanced manufacturing and the automotive sector. The state served as a meeting point for companies, buyers, authorities, and specialists to analyze the sector’s new competitive landscape.