Cubans may finally get to buy new cars
- Submitted by: manso
- Business and Economy
- 08 / 30 / 2011
After decades of having to try to keep 1950s American cars running, Cubans may finally get to a chance to buy new cars.
Early next year, Cuban authorities plan to loosen restrictions and make it easier for private citizens to buy or sell modern cars, the Detroit Free Press reports.
The change may open the trade door to more Chinese, Korean and European vehicles, those built in countries that have a trade relationship with Cuba, unlike the U.S. Already, relatively new Chinese-made buses and Chinese Geely taxicabs prowl Havana.
But as welcoming as the new Cuban policy may sound, the average citizen will still have trouble getting a new car. There will be no private car dealerships, the government will control how many cars are imported and even if it didn't, most Cubans are so poor, they never could afford a new car anyway.
That means they will continue to try to keep their mid-1950s American cars running, whether it's with wire and tape, or with new engines under the hood.
Source: http://content.usatoday.com/communities/driveon/post/2011/08/cubans-may-...
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