Transportation Equipment

In 2014, total U.S. exports of transportation equipment reached $335.6 billion, an increase of 4 percent. U.S. general imports of transportation equipment grew at nearly twice that rate (7 percent) to $403.0 billion in 2014.

U.S. Exports¹

U.S. exports of transportation equipment primarily consist of domestic exports, which accounted for 91 percent of U.S. total exports in this sector.² Major trading partners for U.S. exports of transportation equipment were Canada, Mexico, and Japan (see table TE.1). U.S. domestic exports of transportation equipment rose by 4 percent to $305.4 billion in 2014. Increases in exports of aircraft, motor vehicles, and internal combustion engines offset a decline in exports of construction and mining equipment (table TE.2).

U.S. exports of aircraft increased by nearly $9.0 billion (9 percent). Boeing’s deliveries of aircraft to foreign markets rose from 466 units in 2013 to 505 units in 2014, likely accounting for much of the growth. Further, Boeing’s largest and most expensive aircraft, the 787 Dreamliner, made up 20 percent (103 aircraft) of total export deliveries, a significant increase from the 2013 level of 63 Dreamliners sold to foreign markets.³ Increased production efficiency at Boeing’s North Carolina plant likely contributed to this increase in Dreamliner deliveries.⁴ Growth in exports of aircraft was relatively evenly distributed, with increases of $1.3–1.7 billion for each of the United States’ six leading trading partners (Chile, China, Ethiopia, New Zealand, Taiwan, and Turkey). China was the top overall market for U.S. exports of aircraft in 2014.

U.S. exports of motor vehicles increased by $3.9 billion (6 percent) in response to greater demand for U.S.-produced motor vehicles. U.S. exports of U.S. motor vehicles to China rose by $2.6 billion in 2014 to $10.9 billion (or 31 percent). This likely reflects a general increase in shipments of foreign-produced motor vehicles to China, where imports of motor vehicles grew by nearly 25 percent to $60.7 billion in 2014⁵ (see also the China webpage). U.S. exports of internal combustion engines also increased by $1.3 billion (7 percent) in 2014. This growth was driven in large part by exports to Mexico, which rose by $1.7 billion (33 percent) to $6.6 billion. Mexico posted a fifth consecutive year of record motor vehicle production, totaling 3.3 million vehicles, up 10 percent from the previous year’s total of 3 million vehicles.⁶ Three new assembly plants that opened in Mexico in late 2013 and 2014 likely contributed to the record production levels, spurring demand for engines from the United States.⁷

However, U.S. exports of construction and mining equipment declined by $3.4 billion (14 percent) in 2014. This drop was likely caused by reduced investment in new equipment by mining companies because of lower commodity prices.⁸ U.S. domestic exports to Equatorial Guinea, Australia, and Mexico fell by over $1.3 billion from 2013. The largest declines were related to equipment for mining or drilling. For example, offshore oil and natural gas platforms accounted for the vast majority of the decrease in the value of U.S. domestic exports to Equatorial Guinea, dropping from $483 million in 2013 to $62,000 in 2014. U.S. exports of boring or sinking machinery and parts made up more than half of the decline in exports to Mexico. U.S. exports of dumpers for off-highway use also declined significantly.⁹

U.S. Imports

U.S. general imports of transportation equipment increased by $27.6 billion (7 percent) from $375.4 billion to $403.0 billion. Motor vehicle parts, motor vehicles, aircraft, and internal combustion engines accounted for more than 75 percent of this growth.

The $6.8 billion (9 percent) growth in U.S. imports of motor vehicle parts to $82.0 billion in 2014 was likely driven in part by higher production of motor vehicles in the United States; production expanded by 5 percent to 11.7 million units in 2014.¹⁰ Imports from Mexico increased the most in value ($3.4 billion) because of Mexico’s importance in the North American motor vehicle supply chain.¹¹ Imports from China also increased significantly, by nearly $1.4 billion; many of these imports were likely replacement parts for imported passenger vehicles, as parts suppliers tend to be located near assembly plants.¹²

Growing U.S. demand for motor vehicles drove U.S. sales to almost 17 million units and U.S. imports to $183.3 billion in 2014.¹³ Motor vehicle imports from Mexico grew the most, likely because of the increased production from new and existing plants discussed in the export section. South Korea and Hungary were the other two largest sources of import growth, with increases of $2.5 billion and $1.2 billion, respectively.

U.S. imports of aircraft and aircraft parts rose by $4.8 billion (17 percent) to $34.3 billion in 2014. The top three increases in aircraft imports were from Canada, Germany, and Japan ($1.3 billion, $1.1 billion, and $1.0 billion, respectively) and represented growth in discrete segments of the aircraft industry. The rise in imports from Canada was likely accounted for by business jets manufactured by Bombardier, Inc. The increase in imports from Germany was likely of commercial airliners produced by Airbus, which completes final assembly of many of its commercial airliners in Hamburg.¹⁴ And finally, the growth in imports from Japan was likely driven by increased demand for parts for Boeing aircraft (see the Japan webpage for more detail).

The increase in imports of internal combustion engines was likely driven in part by the growth in the U.S. motor vehicle industry, with output up 5 percent in 2014 to 11.7 million units.¹⁵ Growth occurred in imports from NAFTA partners Canada and Mexico, which are part of the highly integrated North American motor vehicle industry. Imports also grew from other vehicle-producing countries, such as Japan, Germany, and South Korea, which have U.S. operations that often source engines from home-country suppliers.