Bulletproof cars: an $80M Mexican industry
Whether you’ve vacationed to the region and wandered off your resort’s grounds, heard about a particularly gruesome case or, heck, just seen Man On Fire, chances are you know Central and Latin America is rotten for crime.
And, usually, in a part of the globe where anyone with money is a direct target for kidnappings and burglaries, rarely is there a positive economic spin.
Maybe, though, if we have to find a silver lining in a situation where blood sometimes quite literally runs in the streets, this is it.
According to USA Today, there’s a new hot industry in Mexico, the country south of the U.S. most notorious for its violence: the bulletproof car biz.
Yes, it’s sad but true – according to estimates from the Mexican Association of Automobile Armorers, the nation’s bullet-proofing sector is now valued at $80 million per year.
Remarkably, bullet-proofing your car isn’t a new trade at all for the wealthy Mexican. Says USA Today, ever since 1994 – when billionaire banker Alfredo Harp Helu was kidnapped and freed on a $30 million ransom – many of the country’s affluent have had to take such measures with their vehicles.
But the boost in the overall bulletproof car sector hasn’t come from Mexico’s magnates or tycoons, rather the middle-class Mexican, who may fear for his safety now more than ever.
As if an “alarming” rate of carjackings and ransom abductions wasn’t enough (kidnappings are up more than 300 per cent over the past five years), USA Today notes more than 28,000 Mexicans have been killed in murders chalked up to drug cartel violence since 2006.
Twenty-eight thousand! By contrast, according to Stats Canada, there have only been 2,421 homicides of any kind across our nation from 2006-2009.
In Mexico, then, it’s become an issue of save yourself, even if it does break the bank. Modest vehicles like Hondas, small SUVs and pickup trucks are now commonly seen getting bullet-proofed by the country's car dealers, sometimes at a cost of up to $80,000 per vehicle.
By Jason Buckland, MSN Money
Posted by: lostboi | Nov 16, 2021 11:24:35 AM
Mexico is in North America you idiots
Posted by: lostboi | Nov 16, 2021 11:49:55 AM
That is why they are part of NAFTA, that stands for North America Free Trade Agreement, you would think the writer from MSN Money would know that!
Is there a job available in that department???
Posted by: rod | Nov 16, 2021 12:11:47 PM
It is incredible how unrelated issues are liked when something happens in Mexico. Even worst, when the information provided is inaccurate and exaggerated.
Posted by: lostboi | Nov 16, 2021 12:30:45 PM
Is there not an editor to check on this stuff?? I really want a job with MSN
Posted by: Richard Lebkowski | Nov 16, 2021 2:27:30 PM
Count on some sensationalist media to completely overlook the fact that Mexico's population is nearly four times that of Canada; 111 million compared to 33 million (2010). When you take that into account, 1 in 4,000 Mexicans was a victim of homicide compared to appoximately 1 in 13,750 Canadians. That certainly makes it less dramatic than the over 10 to 1 figure for homocides offered. Also, would the geographically illiterate Mr. Buckland recognize that Mexico is not a Central American country. It is in North America; the same continent in which Canada belongs.
Posted by: peter harrison | Nov 16, 2021 2:38:20 PM
I don't know who's the bigger dumbass here, Buckland for authoring this or Havers for not catching the major geographical error. Reminds me of when I inquired with ICBC the provincial vehicle insurer in B.C. as to how far the coverage extended and was told "anywhere in North America" to which I replied "great I'm off to Mexico" and was immediatly told that was not covered. I then inquired sarcastically about the agents educational status and suggested somemore. Possibly this could apply here as well!
Posted by: Rafael | Nov 16, 2021 10:33:31 PM
Yes, Mexico is sadly becoming violent, but it seems most of the media is only interested in highlighting this fact. What's the point Mr. Buckland? Are you trying to promote this as a business opportunity for your Canadian readers? Or just trying to drive traffic to your articles?
On the geographic discussion, Mexico indeed is in North America, although the common use of the term only includes the US and Canada for cultural, economic and social reasons.
Posted by: lostboi | Nov 16, 2021 11:18:27 PM
Buckland...MC Hammer went to jail for tax evasion, so I don't know that I would want to compare myself to him...but you are a dumbass just the same...who do you think is the president of Canada?
Posted by: Rich Behm | Nov 17, 2021 1:35:39 AM
Dear "lostboi", please consider the following in reponse to your numerous posts. At no point does the author state that Mexico is not a part of North America. He does say that "Central and Latin America is rotten for crime." Latin America is a blanket term for Spanish speaking nations that bridge North and South America, which includes Mexico. The cultural and economic commonailty of these nations distinguishes them from their geographic neighbours.
PS - The reference to MC Hammer is blantantly a joke as he is an infamous celebrity case of poor money management, having gone bankrupt despite earning millions of dollars early in his career.
Posted by: lostboi | Nov 17, 2021 4:45:42 PM
Thanks Rich, It seems others also were misled in thinking the author meant Central America, and MC Hammer was arrested for tax evasion, in fact one of his horses ran in the Kentucky Derby with the I.R.S listed as owner, the government hoping to reclaim some of the money owed to them, He went broke because he was a crook. Why bother even mentioning the Central and Latin American connection knowing Mexico is part of North America? I lived in Central America, Costa Rica for 5 years and never once saw, or felt the crime that is mentioned in the article. It is good that you have to look out for a dumb ass writer like Buckland, do you wear a big S on your T shirt?