A total of 81,203 vehicles were sold in the first month of the year compared 104,852 units in January of last year, before the emergence of COVID-19, according to a report from the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI).
In a statement, the Mexican Association of Automotive Distributors (AMDA) said dealerships were closed for much of January in the central states of Puebla and Morelos, as well as in Mexico City and the State of Mexico due to lockdown measures.
"These entities represent 30 percent of national sales and the restrictions on the commercialization of vehicles in this area had a significant impact on the total result for the month," the AMDA said.
"COVID-19 continues to undermine the economic environment and consumer confidence," added the trade group, which gathers 2,000 vehicle dealerships in the country's 210 largest cities.
The Mexican economy, the second largest in Latin America after Brazil, contracted 8.3 percent in 2020, its worst performance since the 1930s, as a result of the pandemic.
Mexico has Latin America's fourth-largest COVID-19 outbreak, after Brazil, Colombia and Argentina, according to the most recent tally by Johns Hopkins University.
Mexico detected its first case of COVID-19 at the end of February 2020. Its outbreak first peaked in July and again following the end of year holidays, according to health authorities.
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