Vietnam supplied 16.3% of the value of Mexico's car tire imports in January-July 2026, ahead of China at 11.8%, according to Mexico-reported customs data published through UN Comtrade. In 2023 the order was reversed by a wide margin: China held 25.5% of the market and Vietnam 0.8%.
The swap followed two trade measures aimed at the same product. Mexico placed anti-dumping duties of 5.18% to 32.24% on Chinese radial car and light truck tires from 1 October 2024, and it had already raised the general import tariff on car tires from 15% to 35% in two steps. Chinese car tire shipments to Mexico fell 45.1% by value in 2025, while total imports barely moved. The demand did not leave Mexico. Its suppliers changed.
China's share of Mexican car tire imports fell by 11 points in the first full year of duties
Mexico imported $1,597.8 million of new passenger car tires (HS 401110) in 2025, almost the same as the $1,604.8 million of 2024, a change of 0.4%. Inside that flat total, imports from China dropped from $393.9 million to $216.1 million, a loss of $177.8 million in one year. China's share of import value fell from 24.5% to 13.5%.
The decline is visible from both sides of the border. China's own customs data, reported to the same database, show exports of car tires to Mexico falling from $334.7 million in 2024 to $199.5 million in 2025, down 40.4%, with net weight down 40.8%, from 127.0 million kg to 75.2 million kg. The two countries value shipments differently, but both series point to the same scale of contraction.
Before the case, Chinese supply had been rising. The Ministry of Economy's final anti-dumping resolution, published in the Diario Oficial on 30 September 2024, found that imports of the investigated Chinese tires grew 61% between July 2019 and June 2022 and that their share of Mexico's apparent consumption rose from 23.3% to 25.4% and then 27.9% across the three annual periods reviewed. Over the same span, the share of domestic producers selling into the home market fell from 46% to 40.8%. The petitioners were Bridgestone de México, Compañía Hulera Tornel, Continental Tire de México and Industrias Michelin, supported by the national rubber industry chamber, CNIH.
Vietnam's shipments rose from $14.1 million to $210.5 million in two years
Vietnam was a marginal supplier until 2023, when Mexico bought $14.1 million of its car tires. That rose to $73.3 million in 2024 and $210.5 million in 2025, a 14.9-fold increase in two years. In 2025 Vietnam's share reached 13.2%, a fraction of a point behind China. The Chinese decline of $177.8 million and the Vietnamese gain of $137.2 million in 2025 are close in size, which is what a sourcing shift looks like when overall demand is steady.
Vietnam was not the only beneficiary. Malaysia went from $0.7 million in 2023 to $9.8 million in 2024 and $45.9 million in 2025. The United States, Mexico's largest supplier and a USMCA partner, increased from $492.8 million to $559.8 million in 2025, lifting its share from 30.7% to 35.0%. South Korea moved the other way: its sales fell from $160.3 million to $125.3 million, and its share has fallen from 17.2% in 2019 to 7.8% in 2025.
| Origin | 2023 (USD m) | 2024 (USD m) | 2025 (USD m) | 2025 share | Jan-Jul 2026 (USD m) | Jan-Jul 2026 share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 460.6 | 492.8 | 559.8 | 35.0% | 373.9 | 36.7% |
| Vietnam | 14.1 | 73.3 | 210.5 | 13.2% | 166.3 | 16.3% |
| China | 422.8 | 393.9 | 216.1 | 13.5% | 120.2 | 11.8% |
| South Korea | 208.5 | 160.3 | 125.3 | 7.8% | 80.1 | 7.9% |
| Brazil | 97.1 | 87.7 | 106.0 | 6.6% | 62.3 | 6.1% |
| Malaysia | 0.7 | 9.8 | 45.9 | 2.9% | 23.3 | 2.3% |
| All origins | 1,661.1 | 1,604.8 | 1,597.8 | 100% | 1,017.5 | 100% |
Table: Mexico's imports of new passenger car tires (HS 401110) by origin, customs value. Source: UN Comtrade, Mexico-reported annual and monthly data.
A 35% general tariff and treaty access explain why the shift landed in Southeast Asia
Two separate instruments raised the cost of Chinese car tires in Mexico. The first is the general (most-favored-nation) tariff. According to Mexico's tariff law as compiled by the Chamber of Deputies, the rate on tariff line 4011.10.10 rose from 15% to 25% under a temporary decree in force from 16 August 2023, then to 35% under a decree published on 22 April 2024. The reform published on 29 December 2025 wrote the 35% rate into the tariff schedule from 1 January 2026, and the same reform raised the rate on large radial truck and bus tires (line 4011.20.04) from zero to 25%.
The second instrument is the anti-dumping order. Under the September 2024 resolution, Wanli Tire and all non-cooperating Chinese producers pay 32.24%, Shandong Linglong 19.37%, Shandong Haohua 11.55%, Shandong Changfeng 7.16% and Zodo Tire 5.18%, while 26 other named companies, including Triangle Tyre, Giti's Chinese plants and Hankook's Jiangsu and China units, pay 14.82%. The duty applies to Chinese-origin tires of 13 to 22 inches "regardless of the country of shipment", so routing Chinese-made tires through a third port does not avoid it. A tire made in Vietnam has Vietnamese origin and falls outside the order.
Vietnam and Malaysia also have treaty access that China lacks. The Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) entered into force for Mexico on 30 December 2018, for Vietnam on 14 January 2019 and for Malaysia on 29 November 2022, according to the Australian Border Force. Qualifying tires from those countries can enter under Mexico's CPTPP preferential schedule instead of the 35% general rate. South Korea, which has no trade agreement with Mexico, faces the general rate, which fits its steady loss of share.
The 2026 data show the gap still widening
Monthly data for January-July 2026 show Mexico's car tire imports up 16.5% on the same months of 2025, to $1,017.5 million. Vietnam grew 81.6% to $166.3 million. China grew 8.8% to $120.2 million from a depressed base, so its share still slipped from 12.6% to 11.8%. Vietnam shipped more than China in six of the first seven months of 2026, and in July 2026 it supplied $36.5 million, 22.8% of the month's total and 2.4 times China's $15.4 million.
One series does not settle why. Chinese tire makers have built plants in Southeast Asia, and part of Vietnam's rise may come from that capacity, but customs data record the country of origin, not the owner of the factory. What the data do show is that the measures did not shrink Mexico's import bill. Thailand, which also lacks a trade agreement with Mexico, fell 23.5% in January-July 2026.
What buyers and suppliers should do with this
Tire makers. Mexico's protection now rests on two layers: a 35% general tariff written into law, and anti-dumping duties of up to 32.24% on Chinese tires. Neither applies to qualifying CPTPP-origin product. Producers with plants in Mexico should expect import competition to keep coming from Vietnam and Malaysia rather than fade. For exporters with Southeast Asian plants, Mexico has become one of the clearest places where treaty origin is worth money. The Mexico tire market report tracks the domestic demand side of this shift.
Distributors and importers. Importers who relied on Chinese value brands have had about two years to re-source. The risk now is concentration: Vietnam alone held 16.3% of import value in January-July 2026. Origin documents carry more weight than before, because the anti-dumping order follows Chinese origin through any shipping route and the 35% rate applies to non-treaty goods. Pricing benchmarks for the replacement tire market should be checked against the new supplier mix.
Raw-material buyers. The shift moves tire-building demand for natural rubber, synthetic rubber, carbon black and steel cord from Chinese plants toward Southeast Asian ones. Suppliers that serve tire plants in Vietnam and Malaysia gain exposure to North American replacement demand through Mexico, and their order books become more sensitive to Mexican trade policy.
OEMs. The 13-22 inch scope covers most car and light truck fitments, and the December 2025 reform added a 25% rate on large truck tires from non-treaty origins. Vehicle makers and fleet operators in Mexico that buy tires from China or South Korea should review landed costs on both car and truck programs. The North America passenger car tires market report covers the wider regional context.
Investors. The numbers show a trade measure doing what it usually does: it moved supply rather than cutting it. Mexico's import total held near $1.6 billion in 2024 and 2025 and rose 16.5% in early 2026. Earnings exposure to Mexico therefore depends on where a tire maker's plants sit, not on where it is headquartered.
Methodology and sources
Import values are customs values in US dollars for HS subheading 401110 (new pneumatic rubber tires of a kind used on motor cars), as reported by Mexico. Shares are computed as each origin's value divided by Mexico's total for the same period. January-July figures sum the monthly series; the 2025 monthly series sums exactly to the 2025 annual totals. Values, not unit counts, are used because reported quantities for some origins imply unit values that are inconsistent with mirror data. All derived percentages were recomputed from the source series.
- UN Comtrade, Mexico annual imports of HS 401110 by partner: annual values 2016-2025 (change the period parameter for other years).
- UN Comtrade, Mexico monthly imports of HS 401110 by partner: monthly values January 2025 to July 2026.
- UN Comtrade, China-reported exports of HS 401110 to Mexico: mirror values and net weight for 2024 and 2025.
- Secretaría de Economía, final anti-dumping resolution on Chinese radial car and light truck tires (DOF, 30 September 2024): scope, duty rates, entry into force, petitioners and market-share findings.
- Secretaría de Economía, initiation of the anti-dumping investigation (DOF, 5 April 2023): case opening and periods of investigation.
- Cámara de Diputados, Ley de los Impuestos Generales de Importación y de Exportación (last reform DOF 29 December 2025): tariff rates and amendment history for lines 4011.10.10 and 4011.20.04.
- Australian Border Force, CPTPP entry-into-force dates: dates for Mexico, Vietnam and Malaysia.
Related coverage: Asia Pacific passenger car tires market.
Frequently Asked Questions
Vietnam supplied 16.3% of Mexico's car tire import value in January-July 2026, up from 0.8% in 2023. That put it ahead of China at 11.8%.
They fell 45.1% by value in 2025, from $393.9 million to $216.1 million. China's share dropped from 24.5% to 13.5%.
Duties range from 5.18% to 32.24% of customs value on Chinese radial car and light truck tires of 13 to 22 inches, in force since 1 October 2024.
35% on tariff line 4011.10.10, up from 15% before August 2023. The December 2025 reform kept the 35% rate in the tariff law from 1 January 2026.
No. Imports were $1,597.8 million in 2025 versus $1,604.8 million in 2024, and January-July 2026 imports rose 16.5% to $1,017.5 million.
Vietnam has been a CPTPP partner of Mexico since 14 January 2019, so qualifying Vietnamese tires can enter under Mexico's CPTPP preferential schedule instead of the 35% general rate.