Rusted and stripped of their proper seat, the automobiles parked in queues rounding avenue corners function the unofficial taxi within the hillside neighborhoods in Cuautepec in Mexico’s capital. The curvy image of the Nineteen Sixties hippie period is admired — even embellished and named — by residents who say the automobile represents their resilience and work ethic.
They are often noticed all through Mexico Metropolis, however they swarm the colourful streets in Cuautepec, the place Beetles may be heard climbing steep hills previous residents enjoyable on their roofs and canine standing guard on balconies.
One of many Cuautepec’s many mechanics is often only a couple blocks away. The odor of automobile exhaust fumes fills the streets as yellow, inexperienced, purple and purple Beetles buzz by each other at intersections.
“It is not a standard car like any other,” mentioned Yolanda Ocampo, 45, as she admired her graying 1982 Beetle parked outdoors the pharmacy the place she works. The brake pedal may be stiff, however proudly owning the Beetle means “your car is tough.”
“We love the Vochos so much,” she added.
There are competing theories for the automobile’s beloved nickname, “Vocho.” Some say it’s derived from the Spanish phrase for bug, “bicho,” and mixed the primary two letters of Volkswagen. Others say it’s only a shortened slang model of Volkswagen.
Although the German Basic Beetle was formally discontinued in 2003, the traditional Beetle has lengthy been a supply of pleasure for Mexico, and particularly Cuautepec. Initially designed for Adolf Hitler within the Thirties, Volkswagen bought lots of of 1000’s of Beetles within the Nineteen Sixties because the automobile grew to become an emblem of anti-establishment counterculture.
Finally, Volkswagen stopped imports to the US when it couldn’t hold tempo with crash check and emission requirements. The corporate started to farm out manufacturing to different nations. In 1964, it opened a manufacturing unit in Puebla, Mexico, the place it produced Beetles until 2003, and continued to construct the sleeker New Beetles until 2019, when Volkswagen ended the bug’s reign fully.
In Cuautepec, many of the automobiles on the highway are nonetheless the traditional fashions.
“The good ones are the old ones,” mentioned Eduardo Jiménez León, whose son gifted him a Beetle beforehand used as a taxi.
For residents like Mr. Jiménez León, 73, the Vocho’s recognition is a matter of practicality. The Beetle’s engine is within the again fairly than the entrance, making it simpler to drive up Cuautepec’s steep hills. The automobiles marked with inexperienced and white paint are nonetheless used as unofficial taxis within the neighborhood. Many guests who select to take a gondola raise to the highest of town’s northern hills elect to trip again down in a Vocho for a extra retro transport.
“They say that it drives even just on the pure smell of gasoline,” mentioned Uriel Mondragón, an area mechanic who mentioned 40 p.c of his clients personal a Beetle. “It is not like a new car. This car does not run out of gas.”
For others, proudly owning a Beetle is extra about what the automobile represents.
In Cuautepec, the automobile has tied generations of households collectively, typically handed down from mum or dad to youngster.
“Our beloved Vocho has become part of the Mexican folklore thanks to its unique personality, quality, and reliability,” Álea M. Lozada, a spokeswoman for Volkswagen in Mexico, mentioned in a press release. “It is a honor to be the last plant in which this iconic model was assembled.”
Every Beetle within the neighborhood has its personal persona and identify; house owners submit their automobile’s moniker on the prime of windshields or on its facet. On a latest journey to Cuautepec, one Beetle was named Ashley. Miranda chugged alongside a pair blocks away. One other had “New York” spray-painted alongside its facet.
Customized designs and decorations are additionally coveted within the Vocho group.
A taxi driver drove a Vocho with pretend 100,000 greenback payments pasted on one facet. One other had a Scooby-Doo doll put in on his trunk. Stars adorned the windshield of one other Beetle.
Ms. Ocampo mentioned she prefers driving her Beetle greater than her brand-new SEAT Ibiza automobile, a supermini. For her, proudly owning a Vocho is a method to push again on gender stereotypes that had been prevalent in her dwelling when she was rising up. She typically heard males in Cuautepec questioning whether or not girls may deal with the Beetle.
“How is it possible for a woman to drive a Volkswagen because of the heavy steering wheel?” Ms. Ocampo recalled individuals asking. However now, “if there is a Volkswagen they are not astonished, right? So the truth is that I am proud to drive a Volkswagen.”
However for the reason that Beetle is not in manufacturing, it may be arduous to search out the best components when repairs are wanted.
In consequence, the automobiles are sometimes made up of mismatching coloured components. One Beetle might need a inexperienced hood, a blue passenger door and a yellow trunk — indicators of previous restore jobs and an effort to match the colourful homes within the neighborhood.
Beetlemania isn’t restricted to the Vocholandia neighborhood.
Berenzain Amaya, a tattoo artist at Octattoo Studio in one other a part of Mexico Metropolis, says he has inked the automobile on not less than 10 die-hard Vocho followers.
“It’s hard to explain because if you’re from another country and see this German car, it’s kind of weird, but I think Mexico is a weird place,” Mr. Amaya mentioned. “There’s a lot of things that aren’t too common to see in other countries. This is part of the culture.”
The automobiles have been part of Mario Gamboa’s household for many years. Alongside together with his brother, Alejandro, Mr. Gamboa, 45, runs a restore store in Mexico Metropolis, Grillos Racing, which predominately serves house owners of Beetles. However Mr. Gamboa and his brother additionally outfit the automobiles with extra highly effective engines and glossy, new exteriors for drag racing occasions within the metropolis.
It was a household custom began by their mother and father, who of their mid-60s nonetheless race Beetles.
The household owns 15 Beetles altogether. Mr. Gamboa himself owns seven. On a latest afternoon, the brothers mentioned they had been on the point of exhibit at a automobile present for the perfect of the perfect Beetles.
He has been hooked up to the Beetle since he was a toddler.
“All the people in Mexico learn to drive in a Volkswagen,” Mr. Gamboa mentioned. “All the families have a Volkswagen. If you don’t have a Volkswagen, then maybe your uncle or your cousin or your grandma does.”
