North American automakers built 1,518,014 light vehicles in February, soaring 12.6% above like-2015 and reaching a 15-year high for the month.
The region’s total was boosted by strong output from Canadian plants, where production rose 20.2% to 198,985 units. This growth was amplified by Ford light-truck production, which more than doubled from last February to 24,534 units.
Light-vehicle production in the U.S. reached a robust total of 1,048,481 units, climbing 16.4% over year-ago. A sharp 74.8% decline in FCA car production was overshadowed by strong increases in Honda (+54.0%) and Kia (+54.4%) car assemblies. U.S. light-truck output jumped 20.4% over last February to 697,328 units.
After three months of growth, production in Mexico slowed, falling 3.9% to 270,548 LVs, in February. This was due, in part, by double-digit declines in FCA and General Motors production.
Overall, North American car production was up 4.5% to 588,772 builds. The luxury-car segment alone grew 29.8%, while the large-car total fell 8.4%.
