The last few years have been kind to Mexico's automobile manufacturing industry: the number of vehicles built there nearly doubled between the year 2000 to 2014, bumping Mexico's share of North American vehicle production from a tick below 11 to nearly 20 percent.
What's good for Mexico is less positive for Canada: the Mexican manufacturing boom has bumped Canada to third in North American vehicle production numbers, with Mexico's lower labour costs proving a strong draw for manufacturers looking to maximize profits. According to this February, 2015 Globe and Mail article, 20 percent of Canada's vehicle assembly and auto parts jobs have “vanished” since 2001.
That growth has also boosted Mexico's image on a global scale. This Wall Street Journal story says that, in 2014, that country's auto sector leapfrogged Brazil's to become seventh-largest in the world.
So, as Mexicans celebrate their nation's historic 1862 military victory over the French this Cinco de Mayo, sit back, crack a bottle of Dos Equis, and have a look at some of the many popular vehicles (in order of 2014 Canadian sales) that come to us courtesy of Mexico's prosperous auto industry.