The current tariff environment coincides with the preparations for the six-year review of the T-MEC. Industry representatives, such as the National Association of Automotive Suppliers (Anapsa), anticipate an increase in the mandatory regional content for vehicles and auto parts. Currently, the treaty requires 75% regional content per vehicle, 70% in main parts and 65% in complementary components.

Expectations point to a possible increase of up to 10 percentage points in each category, which would raise the maximum regional content to 85%. This change would respond to the strategy of strengthening regional supply chains, reducing dependence on Asia and shielding North America's competitiveness in an increasingly protectionist trade environment.

In this context, relocation policies, bilateral agreements and the evolution of regulatory frameworks under the T-MEC become key factors in defining the future of the Mexican automotive industry.

The National Auto Parts Industry (INA) explained to the media that, in accordance with the provisions of Proclamation 10908, the document recently released by the Department of Commerce details the mechanism by which an importer in the United States may request the application of the 25% tariff only on the non-U.S. content of imported vehicles, reserving this possibility only for vehicles that qualify under T-MEC.

Among other things, the importer must provide to the Department of Commerce, by model line, the customs value of the vehicle, its U.S. content, its non-U.S. content, the country and plant of production, the name of the producer and the T-MEC certification of origin of the vehicle. The Department of Commerce will analyze such information and confirm the non-U.S. content by model line reported to CBP so that the importer may apply duties only on that value.