Cuba has lifted its ban on imports of cars since the Cuban Revolution of February 16, 1959. Since then, people have been stuck with the cars that were in the country at the time, outside of the few cars bought by the government since then that have trickled down to citizens.

After roughly 55 years, Raul Castro has finally lifted the ban on importing new cars into Cuba. The lack of new cars in the country means that the majority of the country's roads are filled with large American cars from the 40s and 50s that have been kept on the road as the only option for private citizens that want a car. Now that people can import new cars, these American classics will likely slowly disappear.

Until 2011, even the sale of used cars between individuals was illegal. Citizens had to first acquire a special permit from the government before they could buy or sell a used car.

With both restrictions now lifted, Cubans will be able to import new vehicles into the country. However, the new vehicles will not be cheap because all imported cars will carry a 100% tax to fund the country’s public transport system.

Source: Auto Blog