Cuba has lifted a ban on private-enterprise imports and sales of new cars which had been in force since the 1959 revolution that ushered in Communism.
The decision was made at a ministerial council meeting, said a report in the Communist Party newspaper Granma.
The news may change the street scene in the Caribbean island, which is noted for its colourful collection of classic American cars dating back to the 1940s and 1950s, often with replacement engines from Volvo and other makers.
Many of these vehicles have been rumbling down boulevards and country roads for half a century or more, side by side with Russian cars that were imported by Cuban state enterprises.
For decades, it was impossible for Cubans or even diplomats to import new cars from abroad. Cars had to be bought at approved dealerships.
Long-standing restrictions on the sale and trade-in of post-1959 used cars were lifted in October 2011.
The reforms are part of efforts by President Raul Castro to update Cuba's communist economic system.
