U.S. vehicle exports set record in 2014

More vehicles were exported from the United States in 2014 than in any prior year, new data reveals. In total, more than $159 billion worth of cars and related parts were export from the U.S. last year.
According to The Wall Street Journal, 2.1 million cars, trucks and SUV were exported from the U.S. last year, representing 18 percent of all light vehicle production on these shores. In comparison, the U.S. exported just 1.3 million vehicle in 2010.

Roughly half of those exports ended up in Canada and Mexico, but demand from Asia and the Middle East was also a large contributor to the record-setting year.

Toyota, Ford and Jeep saw their exports increase substantially in 2014. Toyota sent a total of 163,285 U.S.-made vehicle to 40 world markets in 2014, marking a 25 percent increase over the year prior. Ford, which recently began exporting its Michigan-built Mustang, has increased its U.S. exports by 50 percent since 2009. Fiat Chrysler’s Jeep brand remains a leader in U.S. exports, shipping more than 316,000 vehicle overseas last year.

Despite a successful 2014, U.S. exports are expected to remain flat at about 2.1 million units in 2015. However, that’s a significant increase over the 1.4 million vehicles that were being exported from the United States a decade ago.