Where Beetles are part of the family

A car show featuring Volkswagen Beetles in Mexico City, Dec. 2, 2023. The last Beetle was produced in Puebla, Mexico, in 2003. (Marian Carrasquero/The New York Times)

RUSTED and stripped of their right seat, the cars parked in queues rounding street corners serve as the unofficial taxi in the hillside neighbourhoods in Cuautepec in Mexico’s capital.

The curvy symbol of the 1960s hippie era is admired – even decorated and named – by residents who say the car represents their resilience and work ethic.