A 1996 Volkswagen Beetle roars up a steep hill overlooking colorful, crowded, concrete houses on the outskirts of Mexico City, Mexico. Janette Navarro presses the accelerator and passes a lime green Beetle like hers. Another marked with red and yellow scuttles by. Then comes yet another painted a bright sea blue.
“No other car gets up here,” she says. “Just the vocho.” That’s the nickname Mexicans gave the Beetle.
German automaker Volkswagen created the vehicle. But in this hilly neighborhood on the fringes of Mexico City, the “vocho” is king.
The little “Bugs” enjoyed popularity not just in Mexico but around the world for decades. (Ever played “punch buggy” or watched Herbie the Love Bug movies?) The car was durable and fuel efficient. Plus, it was cute!
“There’s no big grill. It’s not intimidating in any way. It’s got big, round headlights, like big friendly eyes,” auto enthusiast Jason Torchinsky told Business Insider. Volkswagen sold more than 23 million Beetles. But after 81 years, production halted for good in 2019.
Old-school models like Navarro’s used to dot blocks all over the huge city. Now the Bug population has dwindled in the metropolitan area of 23 million people. But in the northern neighborhood of Cuautepec, classic Beetles still line the streets—so much so that the area is called “Vocholandia.”
Some of the older cars wobble along, paint faded after years of wear and tear. Other drivers dress up their cars, keeping them in top shape.
One driver named his bright blue car “Gualupita” after his wife, Guadalupe, and added decorative flames. Another VW is pink and white, with pink cat eyes on the front headlights.
Mechanics in the area say driving vochos is a dying tradition. David Enojosa says his family’s small car shop in the city used to sell parts and do maintenance primarily on Beetles. But since Volkswagen halted production of the model five years ago, parts are harder to find. More Beetles are falling into disrepair.
Still, many taxi drivers continue to use vochos. The cars are inexpensive. Plus, the engine located in the back of the vehicle gives it more power to climb the neighborhood’s steep hills.
Joaquín Peréz believes the vochos will endure in the neighborhood.
“This area always, always since I can remember has been a place of vochos,” the taxi driver says. He learned to drive in one decades ago. “This here is the car of the people.”
Why? Practicality and a distinctive, attractive design gave the Volkswagen Beetle great longevity, especially in one area in Mexico.
