- Trade between Mexico and the United States has increased fivefold since the inception of NAFTA in 1995 and reached $531 billion USD in 2015, with both countries benefiting from significant increases in exports. (Mexico Now, Issue 82, June 2016.)
- Mexico has free trade agreements with 50 other countries, more than any other country in the world. (The World Fact Book, Central Intelligence Agency, www.cia.gov)
- Mexico is the world’s 7th largest automobile manufacturer and 4th largest exporter. (Asociación Mexicana de la Industria Automotriz, December 2016.)
- American, Japanese, and German automakers are expected to invest more than US$12 billion in new plant construction and the expansion of existing plants in Mexico by 2020. (Reuters, October 20, 2013)
- General Motors alone plans to invest US$3.6 billion by 2018, which will allow it to double its production capacity in Mexico. (El Universal Queretaro, December 13, 2014.)
- Toyota recently announced that they will invest US$1 billion to build a new assembly plant in Celaya, Guanajuato, which is expected to produce more than 200,000 Toyota Corollas per year once fully operational. (Maquila Portal Bulletins, September 11, 2015)
- BMW announced that it is joining a long list of automotive manufacturers in Mexico by investing US$1 billion on new production facilities in San Luis Potosi. (Automotive News, July 3, 2014)
- Mexico’s burgeoning aerospace industry generated exports of nearly US$7.2 billion in 2015, which more than doubled its exports from 2008 (US $3 billion). Mexico, currently ranked 14th worldwide in aerospace industry exports, has its sights set on moving up to 10th place by 2020 with exports valued an estimated US$12 billion. (Mexiconow Aerospace Bulletin, April 7, 2016.)
- When employee pay, logistics, and currency fluctuations are considered together, Mexico has become the world’s cheapest place to manufacture goods destined for the United States. (The Economist, Nov 24-30, 2012)
- Mexico’s Congress passed constitutional amendments in late 2013, opening up the state-owned petroleum industry (PEMEX), which is the 8th largest producer in the world, to foreign investment. (Wall Street Journal, Dec. 18, 2013)