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멕시코정부, 현대차에 공장설립 압박…자동차 수입 제한도 검토
멕시코 정부가 최근 현대기아차에 현지 공장설립을 종용하며 이에 응하지 않을 경우 자동차수입을 제한하는 방안에 대해서도 검토중인 것으로 알려졌다.
한 멕시코 주재 소식통은 코리아헤럴드에 “멕시코 정부가 최근 자국 내에서 자동차를 생산하지 않는 외국계기업에 대해 자동차수입을 제한하는 방안에 대해 논의 중”이며 “특히 현대와 BMW가 주요 압박대상”이라고 밝혔다.
이 관계자는 현대차가 최근 멕시코에 단독 판매법인 설립을 발표한 것도 멕시코 정부의 공세에 따른 고육지책의 일환으로 볼 수 있다고 설명했다.
“현대차와 BMW 두 회사 모두 당장 공장설립하기에는 무리가 있겠지만 멕시코 정부와의 협상에는 계속 응할 것으로 보인다. 시간을 끌면서 조금이라도 좋은 조건을 얻어내려고 할 것”이라고 이 관계자는 말했다.
실제로 일데폰소 과하르도 멕시코 경제부장관은 지난 9월 25일 블룸버그와의 인터뷰에서 “BMW, 현대차와 공장건설에 관한 협의를 진행 중이고 적어도 둘 중 한 회사는 내년에 공장설립을 발표할 예정”이라고 밝힌바 있다.
당시 현대차는 “사실무근”이라며 보도내용을 부인했다.
2000년 멕시코 시장에 진출한 현대차는 그 동안 미국 크라이슬러의 판매망을 통해 엑센트, 아토스, 스타렉스 등을 팔아왔으나 전체 판매량은 많지 않다.
44개국과 자유무역협정을 맺고 있는 멕시코는 차를 생산해 북미와 남미 시장에 공급하기 좋은 위치라 글로벌 자동차 회사들이 앞다퉈 공장을 건설하는 곳이다.
만약 현대차가 현지에 공장을 설립한다면 샌디에고와 멕시코 국경에 있는 자유무역지구인 티후아나가 유력하다고 소식통은 전했다. 이곳은 일본의 도요타가 공장을 운영하고 있는 곳이기도 하다. 도요타 역시 2001년 멕시코 판매법인 설립을 발표했고 이듬해인 2002년 이곳에 공장을 지었다.
최근 신흥 자동차시장으로 급부상하고 있는 멕시코는 올해 8월까지 지난해보다 4.4% 늘어난 199만대의 차를 생산했다.
(이지윤 기자 / 코리아헤럴드)
<관련 영문 기사>
Hyundai Motor under duress for Mexican plant
Tijuana, home of Toyota plant, cited as possible venue
Hyundai Motor is faced with mounting pressure from the Mexican government to build a new manufacturing plant in the Latin American country or face restrictions on importing its vehicles, an industry source said.
The Mexican government is considering imposing an import restriction on foreign carmakers that do not produce cars in the country. Hyundai, together with BMW, is the main target of the recent push,” the Mexico-based source said on condition of anonymity.
The site of a new plant could be the duty-free city of Tijuana bordering San Diego where Toyota operates a factory, he added.
In a market that requires auto companies to have at least 50,000 units of local production capacity or pay a 20 percent tariff on imports, the Seoul-based Hyundai has been almost invisible, with its vehicles being sold by Chrysler and carrying the Dodge badge.
In a move to reinforce its brand, Hyundai announced in August that it was creating its own sales unit in Mexico to ditch the partnership with Chrysler.
But now, Mexico wants Hyundai to take the next step, and the Mexican government is reportedly in talks with the carmaker on the matter.
“It won’t be an easy decision for Hyundai, but the issue will definitely continue to turn up at the negotiating table, and Hyundai will try to stall for time as it tries to milk more benefits from the Mexican government before it goes ahead with the factory,” said the source.
In a recent interview with Bloomberg last month, Mexico’s Economy Minister Ildefonso Guajardo said Hyundai and BMW were considering building factories in the country and at least one of them would announce a new plant next year.
Hyundai immediately denied the report, but industry watchers say the minister’s comments were designed to give the two car companies a push to build more plants in his country.
Lee Young-tae, a Hyundai financial unit executive, said at a separate earnings conference in Seoul on Thursday that “Volume growth will be a key factor for considering a new plant,” adding that the company had no plans for the plant.
He also said that the planned expansions at the carmaker’s plants in China and Brazil were enough to achieve the original production goal of 4.66 million vehicles this year.
Mexico, whose vehicle output reached a record 2.88 million units last year, is emerging as an attractive export platform for global carmakers as the country’s trade agreements cover 44 countries.
From the Detroit Three to German and Japanese companies such as Volkswagen and Toyota, more and more companies are selling and manufacturing their vehicles there to take advantage of quality production levels as well as low labor costs.
According to the Mexican Automobile Industry Association, Mexico’s auto output rose 4.4 percent in the first eight months of the year from a year earlier to 1.99 million vehicles.
In 2002, Hyundai’s key rival Toyota opened a factory in Tijuana a year after it said it would be setting up a sales unit.
Hyundai may be mimicking Toyota‘s decision, industry watchers said, to maintain close relations with Mexico.
By Lee Ji-yoon
(jylee@heraldcorp.com)
Hyundai Motor under duress for Mexican plant
Tijuana, home of Toyota plant, cited as possible venue
Hyundai Motor is faced with mounting pressure from the Mexican government to build a new manufacturing plant in the Latin American country or face restrictions on importing its vehicles, an industry source said.
The Mexican government is considering imposing an import restriction on foreign carmakers that do not produce cars in the country. Hyundai, together with BMW, is the main target of the recent push,” the Mexico-based source said on condition of anonymity.
The site of a new plant could be the duty-free city of Tijuana bordering San Diego where Toyota operates a factory, he added.
In a market that requires auto companies to have at least 50,000 units of local production capacity or pay a 20 percent tariff on imports, the Seoul-based Hyundai has been almost invisible, with its vehicles being sold by Chrysler and carrying the Dodge badge.
In a move to reinforce its brand, Hyundai announced in August that it was creating its own sales unit in Mexico to ditch the partnership with Chrysler.
But now, Mexico wants Hyundai to take the next step, and the Mexican government is reportedly in talks with the carmaker on the matter.
“It won’t be an easy decision for Hyundai, but the issue will definitely continue to turn up at the negotiating table, and Hyundai will try to stall for time as it tries to milk more benefits from the Mexican government before it goes ahead with the factory,” said the source.
In a recent interview with Bloomberg last month, Mexico’s Economy Minister Ildefonso Guajardo said Hyundai and BMW were considering building factories in the country and at least one of them would announce a new plant next year.
Hyundai immediately denied the report, but industry watchers say the minister’s comments were designed to give the two car companies a push to build more plants in his country.
Lee Young-tae, a Hyundai financial unit executive, said at a separate earnings conference in Seoul on Thursday that “Volume growth will be a key factor for considering a new plant,” adding that the company had no plans for the plant.
He also said that the planned expansions at the carmaker’s plants in China and Brazil were enough to achieve the original production goal of 4.66 million vehicles this year.
Mexico, whose vehicle output reached a record 2.88 million units last year, is emerging as an attractive export platform for global carmakers as the country’s trade agreements cover 44 countries.
From the Detroit Three to German and Japanese companies such as Volkswagen and Toyota, more and more companies are selling and manufacturing their vehicles there to take advantage of quality production levels as well as low labor costs.
According to the Mexican Automobile Industry Association, Mexico’s auto output rose 4.4 percent in the first eight months of the year from a year earlier to 1.99 million vehicles.
In 2002, Hyundai’s key rival Toyota opened a factory in Tijuana a year after it said it would be setting up a sales unit.
Hyundai may be mimicking Toyota‘s decision, industry watchers said, to maintain close relations with Mexico.
By Lee Ji-yoon
(jylee@heraldcorp.com)
