Tamaulipas
$8.6B Q1 2025 exports (6.4% of Mexico); Reynosa-Matamoros-Nuevo Laredo corridor with Aptiv, Lear, Continental; part of $3T Texas-Mexico economic zone.
Tamaulipas exported $8.6 billion in Q1 2025, representing 6.4% of Mexico's total exports. The Reynosa-Matamoros-Nuevo Laredo corridor forms one of North America's busiest industrial zones, with automotive, electronics, and metalworking concentrated along the Texas border. Together, Texas, Tamaulipas, Nuevo León, and Coahuila generate an estimated $3 trillion GDP—which would rank as the world's ninth-largest economy if considered independently.
Reynosa (across from McAllen) anchors automotive and electronics manufacturing; Matamoros (across from Brownsville) hosts Aptiv, Lear Corporation, and Continental Automotive Systems; Nuevo Laredo (across from Laredo) specializes in automotive, electronics, and consumer goods with Panasonic, Electrolux, and Continental operations. Highway and rail links into Texas make these cities strategic for nearshoring under USMCA.
By 2026, Tamaulipas will test whether border manufacturing survives tariff escalation. A 90-day extension in 2025 kept tariffs from climbing to 30%, but 25% duties on vehicles and 50% on metals remain in place. If trade negotiations stabilize and nearshoring investments continue, the corridor could strengthen. If tariffs rise or security concerns deter investment, the border's geographic advantage may be offset by policy uncertainty.