Coahuila
30%+ of Mexico's steel; automotive is 63% of manufacturing; Saltillo $13.4B exports (2024); DeAcero $1.3B new mill by 2026; ~1% industrial vacancy.
Coahuila produces over 30% of Mexico's steel and 63% of its manufacturing comes from automotive—making it both forge and assembly line for North American industry. Saltillo posted $13.4 billion in exports in 2024 (up 6.7%), while neighboring Ramos Arizpe added $9.8 billion (up 9.2%). General Motors, Caterpillar, John Deere, and Whirlpool operate across 30+ industrial parks housing 329 companies.
Steel capacity is expanding: DeAcero is investing $1.3 billion in a new mill expected to complete by February 2026, adding 1.2 million metric tons of production using renewable-powered electric arc furnaces. The capital of Coahuila recorded the highest annual growth of the industrial real estate market in northern Mexico, with industrial availability rates around 1%—among the lowest nationally. New investments include Taiwan's HCMF (325 million pesos for automotive sunroofs) and Japan's JSP International ($25 million for engineered foams).
By 2026, Coahuila will test whether steel and automotive can co-evolve toward electrification. If DeAcero's low-carbon steel attracts EV manufacturers seeking green supply chains and GM's Ramos Arizpe plant transitions to electric models, the state could anchor a sustainable industrial corridor. If tariff wars disrupt steel trade or EV production shifts elsewhere, Coahuila's heavy industry identity may become liability rather than asset.