Monday, November 15, 2010

Mexico's $80M boom industry: Bulletproof cars

MEXICO CITY — Carlos Nader drives the congested streets in a bulletproof Mercedes-Benz equipped with pepper spray and a 120-decibel alarm.

He has had bullets bounce off the car and once scared off an assailant by blasting his alarm, which is as loud as a jet engine.

Nader knows his car makes him a target of kidnappers and thieves in a country that has an "alarming" rate of carjackings and ransom abductions, according to the U.S. State Department. In Mexico these days, "everyone's a target," said Nader, owner of Protecto Glass International, a vehicle armor company.

A growing number of Mexicans — including many from the middle class — see bulletproofing their vehicles as a necessity and not a luxury...

[Full Article]