P R 230011Z JAN 09
FM AMCONSUL CIUDAD JUAREZ
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 5807
AMEMBASSY MEXICO PRIORITY 
INFO ALL US CONSULATES IN MEXICO COLLECTIVE
USDOC WASHDC 0003
AMCONSUL CIUDAD JUAREZ

UNCLAS CIUDAD JUAREZ 000021 
 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EEB:ANU PRATTIPATI;DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE FOR DAVID 
OLSON;DEPARTMENT PLEASE PASS TO USTR JOHN MELLE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECON ETRD PGOV MX
SUBJECT: NAFTA, ELECTORAL POLITICS AND ALLEGATIONS OF PROTECTIONISM: 
THE ELIMINATION OF USED CAR TARIFFS AND ITS IMPACT ON THE BORDER 
 
¶1.  Summary:  On January 1, 2009, Mexico eliminated tariffs for 
imports of used cars ten years and older from the United States 
and Canada.  The implementation of the new tariff structure 
brings Mexico into technical compliance with North American Free 
Trade Agreement (NAFTA) rules that went into effect on that 
date.  President Calderon's decision, however, to require that 
imported used vehicles obtain a certificate of origin, a 
document that manufacturers are reluctant to issue, has 
effectively blocked all used car imports at the border. 
Calderon's political opponents and used car dealers in Chihuahua 
claim that the President's motive for issuing this requirement 
is to protect Mexican automakers. They argue that the new 
measure will hurt the border economy and disrupt the fight 
against organized crime by impeding the process for citizens to 
legally register used vehicles.  Despite the announcement on 
January 21 by the President of the Mexican Senate, Gustavo 
Madero Munoz, that the GoM will lower the reference prices on 
imported used vehicles by 50 percent, there is still no 
agreement on the certificate of origin requirement. 
 
Background - Turmoil in the Auto Industry 
 
¶2.  The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) has changed 
the institutional framework of the Mexican economy and radically 
liberalized its highly protected domestic automotive market. 
Since NAFTA took effect in 1994, the Mexican auto industry has 
thrived, becoming a critical driver of economic growth and job 
creation in Mexico.  For instance, in the first ten years of 
NAFTA, the Mexican auto industry created over 200,000 new jobs. 
Industry analysts estimate that the average salary associated 
with the new jobs created in this sector is 30 percent higher 
than the national average.  This gap can largely be attributed 
to the higher skill premium required for workers in this sector, 
which has been supported by greater international competition 
and an infusion of auto-related foreign direct investment (FDI). 
 Mexico's auto sector currently accounts for approximately 4 
percent of Mexican GDP and around 20 percent of total 
manufacturing output. 
 
¶3.  The recent turmoil surrounding the global economic crisis 
has hit Mexican auto manufacturers hard.  The industry, which 
exports over 70 percent of its total production to the United 
States, experienced significant declines in both overall 
production and domestic sales in 2008.  According to the website 
for the Mexican Auto Industry Association (AMIA), sales of 
domestically produced automobiles fell 6.8 percent in 2008. 
Moreover, Mexico's National Institute for Statistics (INEGI) 
projects that production in the manufacturing sector, of which 
the auto industry is an important component, will decline 3.6 
percent in 2009.  Other industry experts, such as Eduardo Solis, 
the President of AMIA, forecast worse domestic market conditions 
for the auto sector.  He claims that domestic vehicle production 
could fall by 20 percent in 2009. 
 
NAFTA Eliminates Tariffs on Used Car Imports 
 
¶4.  Beginning on January 1, 2009, NAFTA regulations require that 
Mexico begin a ten-year process of phasing out restrictions on 
used cars imported from Canada and the United States.  The first 
phase, which will last until December 30, 2010, requires Mexico 
to eliminate all tariffs on used vehicles originating from a 
NAFTA country that are at least 10 years old. 
 
¶5.  In response to the tariff elimination requirements, the GoM 
has chosen to invoke Article 501 of NAFTA, which allows it to 
require that imported used vehicles obtain a certificate of 
origin from the manufacturer to claim preferential tariff 
treatment.  According to USG sources close to the trade 
negotiation process with the GoM, "the USG tried to impress upon 
them the impossibility of producers providing a certificate of 
origin."  The source explained that auto manufacturers are 
reluctant to provide certificates of origin to exporters of used 
vehicles largely due to the difficulty in verifying that the 
vehicles, after ten or more years of repair and maintenance, 
still meet the 62.5 percent rule of origin requirement 
stipulated by NAFTA. 
 
Mexico's Decree on Used Car Imports 
 
¶6.  Under NAFTA, Annex 300-A-2, paragraph 24(a), Mexico may 
adopt or maintain prohibitions or restrictions on imports of 
used vehicles, unless otherwise stipulated in NAFTA text.  As 
such, the GoM chose to issue a presidential decree to establish 
the conditions for the importation of used vehicles into Mexico. 
 The new decree governs Mexico's auto imports from January 1, 
2009 until December 31, 2010. 
 
Salient Elements of the Auto Decree 
 
¶7.  The decree, inter alia, establishes Mexico's legal 
requirement for all imported used vehicles, ten years and older, 
to present the previously discussed certificate of origin.  For 
vehicles that do not have a certificate of origin, the GoM will 
levy a 10 percent tariff, provided that the Vehicle 
Identification Number (VIN) verifies that the vehicle was 
manufactured in the United States or Canada.  However, if the 
vehicle lacks a certificate of origin and a valid VIN, the 
importer will be required to pay a 50 percent Most Favored 
Nation (MFN) duty. 
 
¶8.  The decree also abolishes President Vicente Fox's decree of 
August 22, 2005, and the subsequent injunction (amparo) from 
April 26, 2006, which provided the northern border region with a 
preferential import duty structure for used car imports.  The 
Mexican Automotive Distributors Association (AMIA) contends that 
from January 2006 to March 2008 (and this figure is supported by 
U.S. Department of Commerce statistics), Mexico imported over 
2.5 million used automobiles under this preferential agreement. 
Many of these vehicles were transported out of the border area 
and into other regions of Mexico where the preferential duty 
structure did not apply. 
 
Charges of Protectionism 
 
¶9.  During periods of reduced economic growth, consumers tend to 
purchase cheaper, used vehicles rather than new, more expensive 
vehicles.  Through government intervention, the GoM has 
distorted the market incentives for Mexican consumers.  By 
requiring importers to obtain a certificate of origin that 
manufacturers are reluctant to issue, the GoM has imposed a new 
barrier on used vehicle imports.  This barrier reduces the 
supply of imported vehicles, thus driving up the price for all 
used vehicles in Mexico.  Consequently, the price difference 
between used and new vehicles will shrink, making 
Mexican-produced, new automobiles more competitive. 
 
¶10.  Among the most vocal opponents of the new decree include 
members of the used car industry, the National Chamber of 
Commerce (Canaco) and politicians from Mexico's PRI party.  In a 
recent conversation with a Consulate officer, the Secretary of 
the City Council in Ciudad Juarez, Guillermo Dowell, a member of 
the PRI, commented that the decree issued under PAN leadership 
is undoubtedly designed to protect Mexico's automakers.  Other 
groups, such as the American Salvage Pool Association (ASPA), an 
exporter of used vehicles to Mexico, agree.  Representatives 
from ASPA contend that the decree is not an appropriate response 
to address the slowdown in the auto sector.  In their estimate 
there is a positive correlation between used and new car sales. 
(Note:  Other analysts respond that while a positive correlation 
may exist, the demand elasticity for new car sales is higher 
than used car sales.) 
 
Environmental Argument 
 
¶11.  Despite legal requirements in previous decrees that used 
vehicle imports meet U.S. environmental standards, in practice, 
Mexico has minimal enforcement capacity at its ports of entry. 
Consequently, many proponents of the current auto decree argue 
that a large percentage of the 2.5 million used vehicles 
imported from 2006 to 2008 emit dangerous levels of 
contaminants.  As previously mentioned, despite being required 
to remain in the border region to receive preferential 
treatment, many of these vehicles were transported to the 
interior of Mexico, leading to greater pollution in urban 
centers. 
 
¶12.  Article 5 of the current auto decree reiterates the 
emissions standards requirement.  Nonetheless, the Mexican 
Customs Administrator at the Cordova International Bridge in 
Ciudad Juarez, Ricardo Hernandez, told a Consulate officer in 
early January that the Customs Administration currently has no 
mechanism to verify the compliance of environmental standards 
for used vehicle imports. 
 
Decree's Impact on Chihuahua 
 
¶13.  On January 1, 2009, the Chihuahua state government 
implemented a "Zero Tolerance" program for unregistered vehicles 
operating without a license plate.  The government will 
implement the new program within the framework of the Operacion 
Conjunta Chihuahua - a security program designed to combat 
organized crime.  The "Zero Tolerance" program coincides with 
the State's triennial requirement for all vehicles to renew 
their license plates.  The Secretary of the City Council in 
Ciudad Juarez, Dowell, explained that "the program seeks to 
address the security problem posed by the thousands of 
unregistered vehicles circulating in the streets of Chihuahua." 
Many of these unregistered vehicles, known locally as "carros 
chocolates," entered Mexico legally on temporary import permits 
- often with Texas license plates - and overstayed.  Organized 
criminal organizations frequently use these vehicles to commit 
crimes, thus complicating Mexican law enforcement's efforts to 
identify and apprehend criminals. 
 
¶14.  According to Dowell, the new Certificate of Origin 
requirements work against the "Zero Tolerance" program by making 
it harder to register vehicles that were already imported but 
not yet registered.  The President of the Juarez Customs Brokers 
Association, Fernando Avila, says that the decree makes the cost 
of legally importing used vehicles prohibitive.  He added that 
only three vehicles were registered for importation in Ciudad 
Juarez from January 1 to January 15 of this year.  This compares 
with over 150 vehicles registered during this same period in 
¶2007.  If these conditions continue, Mr. Avila estimates that 
20,000 - 30,000 jobs related to the used car industry in Ciudad 
Juarez will be at risk.  Meanwhile, Dowell says that authorities 
will not impound unregistered vehicles until the import duty 
issue is resolved. 
 
Next Steps 
 
¶15.  In mid-January, the Governor of Chihuahua, Jose Reyes Baeza 
Terrazas, and the Mayor of Ciudad Juarez, Jose Reyes Ferriz, 
both from the PRI, met separately with federal authorities in 
Mexico City to request changes to the auto decree.  They 
requested a 50 percent reduction in the reference prices for 
imported vehicles, which they claim are inflated and arbitrarily 
determined by federal authorities.  On January 21, the President 
of the Mexican Senate, Gustavo Madero Munoz, announced that 
Hacienda had agreed to lower the reference prices on imported 
used vehicles by 50 percent.  However, there is still no 
agreement on the certificate of origin requirement.  Guillermo 
Dowell claimed that if the federal government does not change 
its position, local authorities will file "amparos" - or 
injunctions - allowing importers to continue operations. 
Moreover, he said that the Mayor has not ruled out the 
possibility of filing a formal dispute against the Mexican 
Government in the NAFTA Disputes Resolution Forum. 
 
¶16.  Comment: Given the importance of Mexico's auto sector to 
the domestic economy, combined with the somber industrial 
production forecast for 2009, there is extensive pressure on 
Mexican politicians to protect the industry.  Responding to this 
challenge has been complicated by election-year politics. (On 
July 5, Mexico will hold congressional elections, as well as 
gubernatorial elections for six states).  In this recent debate, 
the PAN has supported the domestic auto manufacturers, while the 
PRI has rallied behind used car dealers, especially along the 
northern border.  In Chihuahua, politicians from the PRI have 
tried to use the auto decree to portray President Calderon and 
the PAN as "out of touch" with the economic and security 
challenges along the border.  Moreover, this plays into a 
narrative propagated by local PRI politicians that federal 
authorities are not effectively responding to the threat of 
organized crime.  If the local and federal authorities are 
unable to reach an agreement on the import requirements for used 
vehicles, used auto car unions, the National Chamber of 
Commerce, politicians, and others have vowed to protest, 
possibly blocking international commercial traffic from Ciudad 
Juarez into El Paso. 
 
 
MCGRATH