What are 'vochos' and why are they so important for some Mexican families?

MEXICO CITY — Rusted and stripped of their right seats, Volkswagen sedans, or “vochos,” serve as unofficial taxis in the hillside neighborhoods of Cuautepec in the Mexican capital. The curvaceous symbol of the 1960s hippie era is admired — even decorated and named — by residents who say the car represents their resilience and work ethic.

Vochos can be seen throughout Mexico City, but they swarm the vibrant streets of Cuautepec, where you can hear cars climbing the steep hills.

“It's not a standard car like any other,” said Yolanda Ocampo, 45, admiring her aging 1982 Volkswagen Sedan outside the pharmacy where she works. The brake pedal may be stiff, but having a VW Sedan means “your car is tough.”

“We love the vochos very much,” he added.

Some say the car's beloved nickname, vocho, is derived from the word bug, combined with the first two letters of Volkswagen. Others say it's just a shortened version of Volkswagen.

Although the classic German Volkswagen Sedan was discontinued in 2003, it has long been a source of pride for Mexico, and specifically for Cuautepec. Volkswagen originally designed the Sedan for Adolf Hitler in the 1930s and sold hundreds of thousands of them in the 1960s, when the car became an emblem of the anti-establishment counterculture.

In 1964, Volkswagen opened a factory in Puebla, Mexico, where it produced cars until 2003, and continued to build the most elegant new VW Sedans until 2019, when Volkswagen ended its existence.

In Cuautepec, the majority of the cars that circulate are still classic models. “The good ones are the old ones,” said Eduardo Jiménez León, 73, whose son gave him a car previously used as a taxi.

For many residents, the vocho's popularity is a matter of practicality. Its engine is in the rear, which makes it easier to climb the steep hills of Cuautepec. Many visitors who take a cable car to the top of the City's northern hills choose to return in a van to enjoy more retro transportation.

“They say it works even with the pure smell of gasoline,” said Uriel Mondragón, a mechanic who said 40 percent of his clients have a car. “It's not like a new car. “This car doesn’t run out of gas.”

For others, owning a car is more about what it represents. In Cuautepec, the automobile has united generations of families, often passed from father to son.

Each voice has its own personality and name; Owners post their car's nickname at the top of the windshield or on the side. A vocho seen on a recent visit to Cuautepec was named Ashley. Miranda was advancing a couple of blocks away.

Custom designs and decorations are also coveted. A taxi driver was driving a car with fake $100,000 bills stuck to the side. Another had a Scooby-Doo doll on his trunk.

Ocampo said that he prefers to drive his car than his new SEAT Ibiza, a supermini. For her, having a vocho is a way to repel the gender stereotypes that prevailed in her home when she was a child.

Since the sedan is no longer in production, it can be difficult to find the right parts when repairs are needed. As a result, cars are often made up of mismatched colored parts.

Berenzain Amaya, a tattoo artist from another part of Mexico City, said he has tattooed a vocho on at least 10 die-hard fans.

“It's hard to explain because if you're from another country and you see this German car, it's a little strange, but I think Mexico is a strange place,” Amaya said, adding, “This is part of the culture.”

Mario Gamboa, 45, owns a mechanical workshop with his brother Alejandro, which mainly serves car owners. He also equips the cars with more powerful engines and shiny new exteriors for racing events. It is a family tradition started by his parents, who, in their sixties, still compete with vochos. The family owns 15 VW Sedans in total. Gamboa himself has seven.

“All the people in Mexico learn to drive in a Volkswagen,” Gamboa said. “If you don't have a Volkswagen, then maybe your uncle, your cousin or your grandmother does.”

By: Zolan Kanno-Youngs