USMCA automotive content rules spark US‑Mexico dispute

Mexico’s economy minister Marcelo Ebrard said the United States has not officially proposed a 50% U.S. content requirement for cars under the United States‑Mexico‑Canada Agreement (USMCA), nor an increase of regional content to 82%. He stressed that any such proposal has not been presented by the White House trade representative and warned that new tariffs would harm Mexico’s automotive sector, which already exports vehicles with up to 60% U.S. components.

A U.S. manufacturing trade group accused China of trying to “infiltrate” the USMCA through Mexican automotive investments and urged the administration not to renew the pact during its six‑year review. The group argued that stronger rules of origin are needed to block Chinese influence in the North American auto market, even as analysts note the region’s continued reliance on Chinese‑sourced components.