The Latam Mobility “North America Mobility & Net Zero Summit”, was the setting for the panel “High Level Conversation: The Automotive Value Chain as an Electromobility Articulator in Mexico and North America”, which brought together prominent industry leaders in the region.
Manuel Montoya, Director of the Nuevo Leon Automotive Cluster, highlighted the great boom that currently exists in Mexico for the transition to electric mobility.
He pointed out that the Cluster’s main objective is to generate competitiveness within the automotive sector in the region in order to adapt to new technologies in the industry.
“Electromobility is generating a movement in the very powerful ecosystem, there is a lot of business for local companies and the new challenge is to transform ourselves through education with alliances with universities and other key players,” Montoya explained.
LDR and FOTON with Big Announcements
Julio Hernandez, Divisional Director of Cargo for LDR Solutions, representatives of the FOTON brand in Mexico, noted that the company is focused on supporting environmental commitments to drive change.
“Our activity is focused in a more holistic way such as optimizing diesel consumption and under that, we are the only ones with low displacement units, promoting technologies that allow us a more organic transition,” he detailed.
He revealed that in addition to electric mobility, FOTON is working on innovations such as hybrid units in the heavy load segment or others such as the Euro 6 regulation.
Hernandez pointed out that FOTON has compressed and liquefied natural gas vehicles available in Mexico. He also informed that this year they will unveil the first hydrogen bus and a hydrogen tractor-trailer.
Amcham Mexico and the Key to Alliances
Grace Lingow, General Director of the Monterrey Chapter of Amcham Mexico, was another of the outstanding panelists at the first Latam Mobility meeting in 2024.
The executive highlighted the importance of collaboration to boost sustainable economies and take advantage of the potential of electromobility in Mexico and North America.
Lingow believes that greater integration between the public and private sectors is essential, as well as the establishment of policies that encourage the adoption of electric vehicles and the creation of charging infrastructure.
He stressed that Amcham has more than 107 years of history and represents 1,350 companies nationwide, which contribute with one fifth of the GDP and generate 8 million formal and informal jobs.
He assured that electrormobility will represent a strategic market with significant growth projections in the Mexican vehicle fleet, taking into account that in the United States it is estimated that in the medium term 50% of the units will be electrified.
Metalsa and Impact on Automakers
David Fernández, Director Strategic Planning & Business Intelligence of Metalsa, explained that they are focused on structural components for light and commercial vehicles.
He detailed that they have a presence in Asia and Latin America with the manufacture of chassis and longitudinal members. “Electromobility is something we are following very closely, we attend to the main assemblers in the United States and Mexico to support them in all these dynamics.”
He pointed out that electrification will be able to impact in a different way, and assured that through alliances it will be possible to generate a significant impact in the transition.
“The opportunities in Mexico are linked to manufacturing, creations to new value segments. We analyze what is happening in the Latin and North American market to provide solutions and support the change,” concluded Fernandez.
ARZYZ Beyond Aluminum and the circular economy
Carlos Garza, CEO of ARZYZ Beyond Aluminum, detailed that they are in charge of manufacturing, dissemination and recycling of aluminum based on circular economy.
“We have three plants with significant production capacity for the automotive industry, integration rules have boosted our participation, we see the future of electromobility and the participation of aluminum as key,” he maintained.
“The electric car without aluminum is a set without a solution, that is where our vision lies,” Garza said, while stressing the potential Mexico has in aluminum recycling and circular economy.
He assured that Monterrey has become a world hub for aluminum, a key element that, through collaboration and legislation, can significantly boost the massification of electromobility.
