http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23437698/

Mexican law panics South Texas car dealers
Beginning Monday only used cars made in 1998 can be imported
updated 4:18 p.m. MT, Sun., March. 2, 2008

Beginning Monday, only cars built in 1998 — none older and none newer — can
be legally imported into Mexico. Car dealers were given notice only a month
ago.

Until now, used cars 10 to 15 years old were scooped up at auction by South
Texas used car dealers and rapidly sold to Mexicans hungry for affordable
transportation and "la novedad" — or novelty — of unfamiliar makes and
models.

Cars newer than that were banned from imports as unwelcome competition for
Mexican car dealers, and anything more than 15 years old was seen as a
potential environmental and safety hazard.

But now, under pressure from Mexico's new car dealers who say "vehiculos
chatarra," or jalopies, undercut their sales, the Mexican government is
allowing only 10-year-old used cars to be legally imported into Mexico.

The Mexican Association of Automobile Distributors, which pushed for the
change, said it was needed to "stop the accelerated conversion of our
country into the world's biggest automotive garbage dump."

The Mexican Consulate in McAllen said the change was made "to restrict the
entry of vehicles that compete with the Mexican car industry."

(snip)