Texas · Northeastern Mexico
Manufacturers do not invest in sites. They invest in ecosystems.
I am David Marquez. For 28 years I built and negotiated inside the supplier network that runs from Dallas to San Luis Potosí. I now advise manufacturers deciding whether, where and on what terms to commit capital to it.
Request a briefing Explore the region
日本語でのご相談を承ります。 日本語のページはこちら。
The region, in six numbers
Region-wide baseline · 2024 TMASC study
24.3 million
Working-age population, median age 32, growing 1.5% a year since 2010
2024 TMASC study · U.S. Census Bureau, INEGI · Sept 2023
16
Vehicle assembly plants, across 12 OEM (original equipment manufacturer, meaning an automaker) companies, supported by more than 300 major suppliers
2024 TMASC study · Automotive News, ELM Analytics · 2023
1.5 million
Light vehicles built a year, plus 170,000 heavy commercial vehicles
2024 TMASC study · Automotive News, S&P Global · 2022
About 50,000in Texas, and up to 400,000 in the Mexican states
Motor vehicle workers. The Mexican figure covers all transportation manufacturing
2024 TMASC study · BLS, INEGI · 2022
US$18 billion
Direct value added to the regional economy, 6% of its overall manufacturing industry
2024 TMASC study · BEA, INEGI · 2022
+4.0percentage points
Gain in North American light-vehicle production share, 2012 to 2022 — the largest of any region
2024 TMASC study · Automotive News · 2012–2022
Source: Texas Mexico Automotive Supercluster (TMASC): Progress, Prospects and Policies for Future Success, Macro Foresight, March 2024, published by Bexar County. Underlying data is from 2022–2023.
Since the study
Updated October 2026
$3.6bn
Toyota's second assembly line in San Antonio. Tacoma production transitions from Baja California over about four years; 2,000 new jobs, about 6,000 at the plant
1,500
Jobs at JCB's $500m San Antonio equipment plant, scheduled to open in fall 2026
28,800
Texas motor vehicle assembly employment (NAICS 3361) in August 2026, up 900 on the year. Parts and bodies not included
The six baseline figures are the only consistent cross-border set published for the region; there is no newer region-wide equivalent yet. The figures below them are newer, but narrower in scope, and each is labeled with its own source and date.
What moved
The corridor gained share faster than any other region in North America.
Between 2012 and 2022 the region went from 6.2% of North American light-vehicle production to 10.2%. No other region gained as much. Where that share came from matters more than the headline: Canada nearly halved, from 15.9% to 8.4%, while the Midwest slipped only modestly. The corridor did not displace ageing Midwestern capacity. It displaced higher-cost northern capacity, and it did so while the U.S. South was growing too.
That makes the South the real competitor, not the Midwest. Both run the same argument on operating cost, state competition and union density. It also means the next decade will not be won the way the last one was.
How I work
Three kinds of client. One evidence base.
01
Market entry and site strategy
For suppliers placing a first or second footprint in the region. Site screening against real power and water constraints, the practical shape of an incentive negotiation with the bodies that actually grant them, USMCA (United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement) content design, and introductions to partners who deliver.
02
Corridor intelligence and diligence
For investors and corporate strategy teams. I test the assumptions inside a deal and show where the published statistics and the operating reality diverge. Available as a standing briefing rather than a one-off report.
03
Cluster strategy and investment attraction
For counties, chambers and economic development organizations. Competitiveness assessment that names the weaknesses, a ranked and reasoned target list, and material written for the people who make siting decisions.
日本の製造業のお客様へ
For Japanese manufacturers
Japanese automakers account for roughly three in ten vehicles built in North America — 30.2% of light-vehicle production in 2022, second only to U.S. manufacturers. Their center of gravity has been moving south for a decade.
The most recent example is Toyota's July 2026 decision to build Tacoma in San Antonio: a $3.6 billion second assembly line that doubles the size of the plant by 2030. What it means for the corridor.
Japanese companies rarely lack information about this region. What they lack is detail at the level a siting decision needs. Published regional material stops at the state or national aggregate. A decision needs the capacity of one specific substation, the real dwell time at one specific crossing, and whether a named Tier 2 can hold tolerance. I have been on more than a dozen trade missions to Japan and I work at that level of detail. Calls are held in English; on request, we can use a translation app.
Verified background
- 28 years with Bexar County, Texas; Executive Director of Economic and Community Development; retired 2025.
- County principal for the economic development incentive agreements supporting the on-site supplier network at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Texas.
- Conceived and led the Texas-Mexico Automotive Supercluster initiative.
- More than a dozen economic development and trade missions to Japan.
- Began my career as a machine tool operator apprentice.
These are past roles, described in the past tense. The practice is private and independent, and does not speak for Bexar County, the TMASC initiative, or any manufacturer.
Next step
Bring me the decision that is stuck.
A site comparison, an incentive conversation, a supplier question. Describe it in a few lines and I will tell you whether I can help and what it would take. I normally reply within two business days, in English or Japanese.
Or write to hello@txmxautomotive.com · +1 210 861 1464