Mexican auto output falls 9.8 pct in March

MEXICO CITY, (Reuters) - Mexican auto production and exports slipped in March compared with a year ago as the U.S. economy slowed, industry group AMIA said on Wednesday.

Output fell 9.8 percent and exports dropped 6.8 percent in March, AMIA said.

Mexico sends about 80 percent of its exports, which include most of its auto production, to the United States. Many economists worry the United States has already slipped into a recession.

Mexican auto production edged up 2.2 percent in 2007, capped by slowing U.S. demand.

Industrial production is a mainstay of the Mexican economy and is highly correlated to U.S. economic activity. (Reporting by Luis Rojas Mena; Editing by Kenneth Barry