(Adds exports to U.S. and domestic sales)
MEXICO CITY, Jan 9 (Reuters) - Mexican auto exports and production rose in December and in 2016, auto industry association AMIA said on Monday, amid fears of a future industry slowdown after U.S. President-Elect Donald Trump threatened automakers.
Auto production rose 8.8 percent in the final month of 2016 to 242,495 units, AMIA said, while exports were up 4.8 percent to 216,645 vehicles. For the year, output climbed 2.0 percent to 3,465,615 units as exports picked up 0.3 percent to 2,768,268.
Top foreign automakers are facing threats of big U.S. taxes from the incoming Trump administration over plans to expand their operations in Mexico, fanning fears of a slowdown in the auto sector which girds Latin America's second-largest economy.
Domestic sales jumped a dramatic 19.9 percent in December to 192,567 units compared with the same month last year, and rose 18.6 percent to 1,603,672 units for the year.
Exports to the United States, which make up over three-quarters of the foreign market, picked up by 9.6 percent last month and by 7.1 percent in 2016.
In contrast, shipments to Canada, which represent just 7.9 percent of export demand, slipped 6.9 percent last month and 15.2 percent in the year as a whole.