Volkswagen Puebla output drops 23% after shift closure

Vehicle production at the Volkswagen Puebla plant in Mexico fell 23.0% month over month in September 2026, according to official data from the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI) reported by Milenio. The plant assembled 27,475 units during the month, down by 8,159 units from the 35,634 vehicles produced in August 2026. Compared with September 2025, when output reached 29,202 units, production dropped 5.9%.

The monthly decline followed the cancellation of an assembly shift that resulted in 786 total worker departures. That reduction included 611 unionized technicians and 175 employees who accepted voluntary early retirement. After the adjustment, two active shifts remain operational on the Jetta and Tiguan assembly line, while the Taos line also operates on two shifts.

Output fell across key models at the facility. Tiguan assembly decreased to 12,270 units in September from 18,703 in August, while Jetta production declined to 5,553 units from 8,622. In contrast, Taos assembly rose to 9,648 units from 8,809 in August. The facility also assembled 4 pre-series units of the Golf model ahead of targeted series production in 2027.

Despite the monthly contraction, cumulative production at the Puebla complex from January to September 2026 reached 286,668 vehicles. That represents a 14.6% increase compared with the 250,124 units assembled during the first nine months of 2025.