Heading 8708 (auto parts) from China to Mexico: US$2,449 million from February to July 2026, −0.8% against 2025

In one sentence: six months after the 2026 tariff reform, Mexico's imports of heading 8708 from China have not fallen. From February to July they totaled US$2,449 million, against US$2,470 million in 2025 (−0.8%), per UN Comtrade. The press attributes to Economía a 46.9% fall in “auto parts” that we could not reconcile.

Figures verified on October 25, 2026 against the UN Comtrade database (values reported by Mexico) and the text of the decree published in the Diario Oficial on December 29, 2025. Each figure states its period. The 2026 figures are preliminary.

Key findings

1. US$5,313 million in 2025: the highest of the 2018–2025 series (+11.4%)Mexico bought auto parts (HS 8708) from China worth US$5,313 million in 2025, +11.4% more than in 2024 (US$4,770 million), while imports of the same heading from all origins fell −5.4% (to US$32,495 million). China's share rose to 16.4% from 13.9% in 2024.Source: UN Comtrade, Mexico's imports, HS 8708, annual 2024–2025.
2. US$2,449 million from February to July 2026: −0.8% against 2025Over those six months the monthly flow from China ranged from US$365 million to US$497 million (January–November 2025: US$361 million to US$444 million). For all origins the change was −0.2%; China's share was 15.1% against 15.2%.Source: UN Comtrade, monthly, February–July 2026 and 2025.
3. US$2,103 million in December 2025 and January 2026: 2.5 times a year earlierThe two highest monthly figures in the series add up to US$2,103 million, against US$842 million in December 2024 and January 2025. Almost all of the jump sits in two subheadings: 8708.29 (US$849 million in January 2026; a normal month runs US$55 million to US$92 million) and 8708.99 (US$448 million in December and US$189 million in January; a normal month runs US$41 million to US$79 million). Without them, those two months add up to US$549 million against US$572 million.Source: UN Comtrade, monthly, six-digit subheadings of heading 8708.
4. Comparing January–July misleads: +28.9%From January to July 2026 purchases were US$3,757 million against US$2,914 million in 2025 (+28.9%), but the difference comes from the December–January spike described above, not from the other months.Source: UN Comtrade, monthly, January–July 2026 and 2025.
5. The reform changed the duty rates of 34 fractions of heading 8708The decree published in the Diario Oficial on December 29, 2025 (in force on January 1, 2026) sets the general rate of 34 fractions of heading 8708: 27 at 25%, 2 at 35%, 1 at 36% and 4 at 7%. Other fractions of the same heading do not appear in the decree.Source: DOF, decree amending various tariff fractions of the LIGIE tariff, December 29, 2025.
6. Another public figure points the other way: −46.9% in “auto parts”The press (EL CEO, August 30, 2026; El Economista, August 31, 2026) attributes to the Ministry of Economy a 46.9% fall in imports of “auto parts” in the first half of 2026, to US$899 million. The reports define neither the product group nor the countries. We did not read the original source, so we could not reconcile it with the whole of heading 8708, which includes fractions the decree did not change.Source: according to EL CEO (Miguel Moscosa) and El Economista (via La República); not verified at the original.

Charts

The author's reading

“Six months after the reform, Mexican purchases of auto parts under heading 8708 from China have barely moved. What did change was the duty applicable to dozens of fractions of that heading: today, for an importer, knowing the exact fraction of a product is worth more than any sector average.”Zhang Peng, founder of SourciaVera

What the data does not say

• They do not show the cause. That the flow did not fall after the reform does not prove the reform has no effect: the exchange rate, vehicle production, inventories and prices can all play a part.
• They do not separate the fractions. The public trade database goes to six digits; the decree changes eight-digit fractions, and not all of those in heading 8708. The value of the goods whose rate changed cannot be isolated.
• They do not explain the December–January spike. It is concentrated in two subheadings. It may come from a few high-value shipments, from changes in classification or from the date of registration; we do not know.
• They do not reconcile with the figure attributed to Economía. The 46.9% fall that the press attributes to the Ministry of Economy for “auto parts” defines neither the group nor the countries. It may measure other fractions or headings; we could not verify it. The reports: EL CEO and El Economista, via La República.
• They cover only heading 8708. That is “parts and accessories of motor vehicles”; it excludes engines, tires, batteries and electrical components, which sit in other headings.
• They are preliminary data. The 2026 figures can be revised. The data China reports as exporter (mirror data) were not available for 2025 and 2026, so we could not cross-check Mexico's figures.

What changed on January 1, 2026

The decree, published in the Diario Oficial (DOF) on December 29, 2025 and in force on January 1, 2026, changes the rates of various fractions of the tariff of the General Import and Export Tax Law (text in the DOF). From heading 8708 it includes 34 fractions, in subheadings 8708.10, 8708.29, 8708.30, 8708.40, 8708.50, 8708.80, 8708.91, 8708.95, 8708.99. This analysis does not measure the effect of those changes: it only describes how the aggregate flow moved.

Method and sources