Under pressure from the Mexican auto industry, the Mexican government has tightened restrictions on used automobiles being imported from the United States, allowing only vehicles that are exactly 10 years old to be brought in. Previously, cars 10 to 15 years old were permitted to be imported.
President Felipe Calderon justified the import prohibition on older vehicles, arguing that they are worse polluters. The decree also argued that the market for car parts that are more than 10 years old is not regulated, leading to informal vehicle-part sellers who also move stolen merchandise.
Mexican auto industry lobbyists say the new decree has not gone far enough because it will soon be superseded by agreements made under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) that will require the elimination of all restrictions on imports of U.S. or Canadian cars that are more than 10 years old by Jan. 1, 2009. Furthermore, between 2011 and 2019, provisions requiring the importation of all used cars between the signatory countries gradually will be phased in.
The new Mexican regulations were scheduled to take effect on March 3 following a presidential decree a month earlier. However, mile-long lines of used cars at border ports have prompted Mexican customs officials to allow citizens an extra 14 days to import older vehicles that had already been purchased.
