Guanajuato
Mexico's #1 auto producer (658B pesos, 2024); $24.5B exports; 3.5M vehicles; GM, Mazda, Honda, Toyota; 50% of manufacturing is automotive.
Guanajuato led Mexico in automotive production value in 2024, accumulating 658 billion pesos with 16.8% annual growth—far exceeding the 6% national average. The state exported $24.5 billion in vehicles, producing 3.5 million units with 19.2% year-on-year growth. GM led production with 279,626 units from Silao, followed by Mazda (155,612), Honda (147,818), and Toyota (86,736). Automotive represents 50% of manufacturing GDP and 80% of exports.
The Bajío region—often called North America's third-most-important automotive cluster—represents nearly 50% of Mexico's vehicle production capacity. Encompassing Guanajuato, Querétaro, Aguascalientes, and San Luis Potosí, the region employs 235,000 in automotive alone. Over 400 Tier 1 and 2 suppliers surround the OEM plants. León, at the region's heart, supports massive demand for industrial space and skilled labor while maintaining its historic leather goods industry.
By 2026, Guanajuato will test whether automotive dominance can absorb EV transition shocks. If OEMs electrify their Mexican plants and supplier clusters adapt to battery and motor production, the state could anchor North American EV manufacturing. If US content requirements exclude Mexican-made EVs from incentives, the very concentration that made Guanajuato dominant could become its vulnerability.