According to the US-Cuba Trade and Economic Council, a New York-based chamber of commerce, $35 million worth of cars were imported from the United States in the first half of this year
Tens of thousands of vintage cars—gas-guzzlers older than the average inhabitant—still circulate in Cuba, where many make a living as mechanics keeping the old engines running.
Image: Yamil Lage / AFP©
Brand new Mercedes, state-of-the-art 4x4s, even Teslas: high-end, modern cars have started appearing in Havana, a city whose image is intricately linked to the classic American sedans and Soviet-era Ladas that cruise its streets.
The influx has come despite a biting economic crisis on the communist island, where the average monthly wage is $42 and the vast majority of Cubans struggle to get from point A to B due to a public transport system crippled by shortages of parts and fuel.
Few can afford a car, never mind a new one.
But for private companies, authorized in Cuba only in 2021, the government last year eased restrictions on the importation of foreign vehicles previously subjected to exorbitant taxes and customs duties.
"Cuba needs new cars to achieve environmental goals. It must be done now," said 56-year-old Julio Alvarez, the owner of a tourist transport company who himself recently purchased a Chinese SUV of the Dongfeng brand.