Demand for armored vehicles is growing in the country's main cities due to insecurity: AMBA

Toluca, Edomex.- The Mexican Association of Armored Vehicle Manufacturers (AMBA) reported an increase in the purchase of armored vehicles in metropolitan areas such as Mexico City , the State of Mexico , Guadalajara , and Monterrey , driven by the rise in urban and organized violence. During the AMBA's 25th anniversary event, its president, Esteban Hernández, highlighted that the market expects a 10% growth this year, with nearly 4,000 armored units sold annually in Mexico.

However, the country is still far behind markets like Brazil, where 30,000 armored vehicles are sold annually, due to differences in buyer profiles and costs. The most popular types of armor are Level 3, designed to protect against common crime, such as handgun robbery. "Mexico City and the State of Mexico are the number one markets by far; then we move on to Guadalajara and Monterrey," he said.

Value chain

TPS Armoring , a Mexican company with 33 years in the armoring industry, operates from its manufacturing plant in Santa Catarina, Nuevo León, where it has specialized industrial warehouses for tractor-trailers, tactical vehicles and conventional automobiles. Its expansion includes offices in Ciudad Victoria , Monterrey , Cancún , Guadalajara , Mexico City , the United States and Canada .

"We are in strategic locations where we see a higher incidence of crime or violence. We rely on statistics from authorities to meet those demands," Erika Jiménez, Commercial Manager, told El Economista.

Demand for armored vehicles has grown by more than 10% annually since the pandemic. “Customers are no longer just businesspeople or politicians, but civilians seeking protection against robbery or kidnapping.” TPS Armoring went from 480 to 1,000 employees in three years.

Cancún is an emerging destination for the distribution of these goods. “Organized crime saw Cancún as a strategic territory for its operations, which generated greater violence and insecurity,” he explains. This has led both residents and tourists to seek protection, even if they are not directly involved in risky activities. “People choose to armor their cars because, even if they are not involved in criminal activities, they can be affected by an incident when passing through certain areas.”

Carolina Performance , through its Carolina Ballistic business unit, is a leader in the manufacture of ballistic materials for vehicle and personal protection. Its plant in Salvatierra, Guanajuato, “is the oldest active textile factory in Mexico, with operations since 1845, and today employs around 700 people,” Álvaro Fuentes Quintana, director of the unit, said in an interview.

The armor sector , as Fuentes Quintana confirms, "increases by around 10% each year, and has not stopped growing over the last decade." This increase responds to the demand for civil protection, especially in urban areas. "Our main market is the center of the country, especially Mexico City, where there is a greater need for armor against smaller calibers," he explains. However, they also serve regions such as the north, where more resistant materials, such as steel, are required.

New requirements

The escalating firepower of criminals, who now use R-15 rifles and drones, requires innovation in materials and training for defensive driving. "In Culiacán and parts of Michoacán, we no longer see level 3 or 4 armor as a solution; there, the standard is level 5 Plus, designed to withstand attacks with .50-caliber rifles and explosives, where the risk is not just robbery, but direct attacks with weapons of war," said Erika Jiménez.

The AMBA (Mexico City Automobile Association) brings together 10 companies that produce 70% of legal armoring in Mexico. Some of these companies also develop projects with automakers such as BMW , Audi , and Mercedes-Benz to integrate armoring from the factory. The cost of a simple armoring unit starts at $20,000 per unit.