“Is that car from Cuba?” To be honest, I’m still not sure, after a bit of research, what the speaker meant when he/she said this. From what I can gather, it seems that he/she was referring either to a vintage American car, or to a newer car made in Russia, or to a more modern car from a European country. This deduction comes from finding out what kinds of cars are in Cuba at this time, as well as from finding out that Mexico and Cuba are on pretty good (re-established) trading terms at this time. See research sites and information below. * What do the rest of you think on this?
Some background research: • Trade between Mexico and Cuba in 2011 was around $373 million, and it seems that current leaders wish to develop/re-establish economic ties between the two countries. o http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-04-11/news/sns-rt-cuba-mexico-tv-pixn1e83a01f-20120411_1_cuba-mexico-relations-mexico-s-calderon-mexico-and-cuba
• Old Cars in Cuba “Cubans are not allowed to buy or sell a car that was not already on the road before the 1959 Cuban Revolution, begun in earnest when the Castro brothers, Ernesto "Che" Guevara, and 79 other revolutionaries sailed the Granma yacht from Mexico to attack Batista's army, so you may be surprised to see modern Peugots from France, Ladas from Russia, and Kias from South Korea on the road. However, these are all government-owned and a normal Cuban cannot buy one. Raul Castro recently announced a change that should allow everyday citizens to legally buy and sell cars and houses. Some fear that when the ban is lifted, Cubans will get rid of their old cars to buy new ones, and visitors almost universally hope that the country will realize the cars themselves are a big tourist attraction and make efforts to preserve as many as possible.”
• Driving Toward Cuba’s Future o http://sojo.net/magazine/2012/05/driving-toward-cubas-future Our guide said there are four generations of cars in Cuba. First are those pre-revolutionary American cars—the vintage Chevys, Fords, Oldsmobiles, and Studebakers from the 1950s that somehow keep running. Then came the Russian-made Ladas, the small, ugly, square compacts that look like Fiats stripped of any Italian design.
By the ’70s and ’80s, Japanese and other Asian cars started trickling into Cuba, and they became the auto of choice after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Then, in the last decade, the more expensive European cars began showing up. More recently, a fleet of fancy buses, mostly from China, has arrived to shuttle around the 2.5 million tourists now visiting the island each year (and improve public transportation in general).
The cars, of course, reflect the stages of Cuba’s economic relationship with the outside world: the embargo from the U.S., its initial reliance on all things Russian, then growing global trade, followed by the influx of European tourists, and the recent economic resurgence of China.
Cars can now be bought and sold by Cubans. This is one example of dramatic new economic policies, approved last April, being instituted in Cuba. Dr. Osvaldo Martinez, director of Cuba’s World Economy Research Center, called these changes “shock therapy,” like that being experienced by Greece, Spain, and many countries. Cubans should no longer “idolize” the Cuban economic model, Martinez said.”
“Is that car from Cuba?”
ReplyDeleteTo be honest, I’m still not sure, after a bit of research, what the speaker meant when he/she said this. From what I can gather, it seems that he/she was referring either to a vintage American car, or to a newer car made in Russia, or to a more modern car from a European country. This deduction comes from finding out what kinds of cars are in Cuba at this time, as well as from finding out that Mexico and Cuba are on pretty good (re-established) trading terms at this time. See research sites and information below. * What do the rest of you think on this?
Some background research:
• Trade between Mexico and Cuba in 2011 was around $373 million, and it seems that current leaders wish to develop/re-establish economic ties between the two countries.
o http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-04-11/news/sns-rt-cuba-mexico-tv-pixn1e83a01f-20120411_1_cuba-mexico-relations-mexico-s-calderon-mexico-and-cuba
• Old Cars in Cuba
“Cubans are not allowed to buy or sell a car that was not already on the road before the 1959 Cuban Revolution, begun in earnest when the Castro brothers, Ernesto "Che" Guevara, and 79 other revolutionaries sailed the Granma yacht from Mexico to attack Batista's army, so you may be surprised to see modern Peugots from France, Ladas from Russia, and Kias from South Korea on the road. However, these are all government-owned and a normal Cuban cannot buy one. Raul Castro recently announced a change that should allow everyday citizens to legally buy and sell cars and houses. Some fear that when the ban is lifted, Cubans will get rid of their old cars to buy new ones, and visitors almost universally hope that the country will realize the cars themselves are a big tourist attraction and make efforts to preserve as many as possible.”
Retrieved from: http://www.destination360.com/caribbean/cuba/old-cars
• Driving Toward Cuba’s Future
o http://sojo.net/magazine/2012/05/driving-toward-cubas-future
Our guide said there are four generations of cars in Cuba. First are those pre-revolutionary American cars—the vintage Chevys, Fords, Oldsmobiles, and Studebakers from the 1950s that somehow keep running. Then came the Russian-made Ladas, the small, ugly, square compacts that look like Fiats stripped of any Italian design.
By the ’70s and ’80s, Japanese and other Asian cars started trickling into Cuba, and they became the auto of choice after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Then, in the last decade, the more expensive European cars began showing up. More recently, a fleet of fancy buses, mostly from China, has arrived to shuttle around the 2.5 million tourists now visiting the island each year (and improve public transportation in general).
The cars, of course, reflect the stages of Cuba’s economic relationship with the outside world: the embargo from the U.S., its initial reliance on all things Russian, then growing global trade, followed by the influx of European tourists, and the recent economic resurgence of China.
Cars can now be bought and sold by Cubans. This is one example of dramatic new economic policies, approved last April, being instituted in Cuba. Dr. Osvaldo Martinez, director of Cuba’s World Economy Research Center, called these changes “shock therapy,” like that being experienced by Greece, Spain, and many countries. Cubans should no longer “idolize” the Cuban economic model, Martinez said.”