Foreign cars spotted in USA/Canada

[jakeroot]

I've actually seem something equally odd (although it was a far more "legal" vehicle due to similar Canadian regulations). A Mercedes B200 (W245) with California plates. The guy told me that he bought the car in Victoria, BC, and then paid some RI in California to bring it in for him. He wasn't very specific on the whole process, but it didn't sound legal to me...

The B-Class was actually crash tested and certified for registration in the United States! Mercedes was considering actually selling it here and opted not to at the last minute (but I believe this only applies to 2006 Mercedes B-Classes).

I believe there's an electric version of the B-class that was sold in California for a couple years.

Still being sold, but it's only been on sale for like a year or two.

Looks like some older versions and some of the newer version had the "correct" RAM logo. The New Attitude, based on the Mirage, has the correct grill.

Yep, though you'll note the hubcaps still have the Hyundai H, as does the steering wheel! The Miragittude is properly Dodged up.

Wow. Change some badges, not others. That's not confusing for the consumer or anything.

[SD Mapman]

I don't have a picture, but I saw a Switzerland (yes Switzerland) license plate near Mitchell SD in early May. By the time I figured out what it was, I had already passed the car.

The car looked like something you'd see on an African safari; Land Rover/Jeep like (but it definitely wasn't a Jeep).

[formulanone]

Looks like some older versions and some of the newer version had the "correct" RAM logo. The New Attitude, based on the Mirage, has the correct grill.

Yep, though you'll note the hubcaps still have the Hyundai H, as does the steering wheel! The Miragittude is properly Dodged up.

That's the cheesiest case of badge engineering I've ever seen.

Looking back, Mitsubishi helped Hyundai with the Excel/Precis*, and Mitsubishi and Dodge have been part of the family tree for decades, so it almost makes sense.


* a running example might be rarer than anything I've posted so far.

[ghYHZ]

Anyone seen a Renault (Dacia) Sandero? Just for the Top Gear reference.

It doesn't strcitly count, but in that Saint Pierre and Miquelon Street View link upthread, there's a Dacia Sandero right in the image. All he has to do is cross the water, and it'd count for this thread...

https://goo.gl/maps/Bcg1xwTJfHo

He's already crossed the water.....that Street View image is on the ferry dock in Fortune, Newfoundland. Those vehicles are probably waiting to return to SPM and have been driven in Newfoundland and possibly onto mainland Canada....maybe even into the US.

[Takumi]

I don't have a picture, but I saw a Switzerland (yes Switzerland) license plate near Mitchell SD in early May. By the time I figured out what it was, I had already passed the car.

The car looked like something you'd see on an African safari; Land Rover/Jeep like (but it definitely wasn't a Jeep).

Was it a Land Rover Defender?

[MNHighwayMan]

I once saw a European-style plate here in Des Moines once. Didn't see which country it was from, nor did I have the time to grab a picture, but it was on a luxury car of some sort.

Still haven't any idea on why they would be here in the middle of Iowa, though.

[jakeroot]

Anyone seen a Renault (Dacia) Sandero? Just for the Top Gear reference.

It doesn't strictly count, but in that Saint Pierre and Miquelon Street View link upthread, there's a Dacia Sandero right in the image. All he has to do is cross the water, and it'd count for this thread...

https://goo.gl/maps/Bcg1xwTJfHo

He's already crossed the water.....that Street View image is on the ferry dock in Fortune, Newfoundland. Those vehicles are probably waiting to return to SPM and have been driven in Newfoundland and possibly onto mainland Canada....maybe even into the US.

That probably explains the English street name and the Canadian flag on the store behind the view.

[cpzilliacus]

NATO tags are more rare but easy to see around military bases where officers from NATO countries work at. Occasionally you'll see an un-plated foreign VIP car (e.g. like when the United States sends the presidential limosuine abroad in advance of a US president's visit to said country).

Some years ago, I saw a Land Rover with British tags (RHD too) on northbound I-295 in the District of Columbia.  The driver was in uniform (looked like a naval uniform), and I wonder if he might have been headed to the Washington Navy Yard. 

[cpzilliacus]

Seeing a real Holden reminds me of all the fakes ones I see. The Chevy SS's rebadged as Holden's? They're pretty common in Seattle. Pretty cheap modification to get a unique car. I actually don't mind it.

Police in Maryland have a fair number of those Holdens rebadged as Chevy.  State troopers with the big V8, some of the county and municipal police probably have the six cylinder version.

[jakeroot]

Seeing a real Holden reminds me of all the fakes ones I see. The Chevy SS's rebadged as Holden's? They're pretty common in Seattle. Pretty cheap modification to get a unique car. I actually don't mind it.

Police in Maryland have a fair number of those Holdens rebadged as Chevy.  State troopers with the big V8, some of the county and municipal police probably have the six cylinder version.

I was thinking one step further. Chevy (right now) sells an "SS Sedan", which is a rebadged Holden Commodore. What I've been seeing is people re-rebadging them as Holden's again, replacing the Chevy logos with Holden logos.

The police are probably driving those "new" Caprice's, also rebadged Holden's (Washington State Patrol also uses the Caprice, but most local jurisdictions use Explorer's now). I don't think they're going to be buying them for much longer. Once Holden's Oz factory shuts, all of their domestic product will be history.

[briantroutman]

I was thinking one step further. Chevy (right now) sells an "SS Sedan", which is a rebadged Holden Commodore. What I've been seeing is people re-rebadging them as Holden's again, replacing the Chevy logos with Holden logos.

Likewise, I've seen a few Saturn Astras with their Saturn badges replaced with Opel ones. (Not to mention all of the fake "Honda"  Integras, "Toyota bBs" , and the like floating around.)

[PHLBOS]

Seeing a real Holden reminds me of all the fakes ones I see. The Chevy SS's rebadged as Holden's? They're pretty common in Seattle. Pretty cheap modification to get a unique car. I actually don't mind it.

Police in Maryland have a fair number of those Holdens rebadged as Chevy.  State troopers with the big V8, some of the county and municipal police probably have the six cylinder version.

I was thinking one step further. Chevy (right now) sells an "SS Sedan", which is a rebadged Holden Commodore. What I've been seeing is people re-rebadging them as Holden's again, replacing the Chevy logos with Holden logos.

Kind of like the Pontiac G8s from a few years ago were.

The police are probably driving those "new" Caprice's, also rebadged Holden's (Washington State Patrol also uses the Caprice, but most local jurisdictions use Explorer's now). I don't think they're going to be buying them for much longer. Once Holden's Oz factory shuts, all of their domestic product will be history.

Correct, the Holdens that CP is referring to are indeed the Caprice PPVs; which is a larger vehicle than the Chevy SS/Holden Commodore/Pontiac G8.  Also note: the Holden-based vehicles (SS & Caprice PPV) imported to the U.S. only have V8 engines; the V6 models, while available elsewhere, would've internally competed with the domestic Impala.

As stated in other-related threads; the only reason for the SS' & the Caprice PPV's very existence in the U.S. market was due to a contract agreement GM had w/Holden to sell a certain percentage of their (Holden) cars in the U.S.  With Holden getting out the car-building business altogether; that agreement, along with the vehicles go bye-bye.

[jakeroot]

Someone in my neighborhood of Tacoma, WA has somehow registered a Canadian Toyota Echo 5-door. No idea how this is possible. It's not 25 years old and it was never sold here. I highly doubt Toyota OK'd it, as I think would be required to import it. My guess? Just slipped through. After all, the Echo was sold here. Just not as a hatchback.

I thought it might have been a student, but a few blocks away, there is a VW Jetta with BC plates that has been parking on the street (moving a lot...not abandoned) for as long as I can remember (at least since last fall). To the best of my knowledge, students can keep their original plates, even if the car is from another country. Therefore, if this is a student, the change of plates was not warranted. Still, it could be the case.

The license plate pattern (BP......) is new, so this was just recently registered.

[Takumi]

I was thinking one step further. Chevy (right now) sells an "SS Sedan", which is a rebadged Holden Commodore. What I've been seeing is people re-rebadging them as Holden's again, replacing the Chevy logos with Holden logos.

Likewise, I’ve seen a few Saturn Astras with their Saturn badges replaced with Opel ones. (Not to mention all of the fake “Honda” Integras, “Toyota bBs”, and the like floating around.)

* Takumi hides his fake Toyota Aristo

Actual JDM cars have become fairly common in Virginia. I occasionally see Nissan Skylines and Laurels, Toyota X chassis (continuation of what we knew as the Cressida) and JDM-badged versions of cars sold here like the Toyota Soarer (Lexus SC) and Nissan Silvia (240SX) and cars like the Supra and Land Cruiser that were sold here in smaller numbers or with different engine/drivetrain configurations. (Did you know that the mid-90s Toyota Celica has a 250 HP turbo AWD rally car variant called the GT Four? Now you do.) There are a few local dealers like Japanese Classics and Duncan Imports that specialize in bringing cars over and getting them registered in the US.

[SectorZ]

Of the couple I had seen in the US, one was a Pontiac Sunrunner (Chevy Tracker) and the Acura version of the early-2000's Honda Civic, vehicles exclusive to Canada.

[SP Cook]

I was looking for a used truck a couple of years ago and bumped up across a Ford that was originally registered in Ontario.  The paper trail included a "normalization certificate" issued by the US DOT, followed by a registration in Indiana.  Why someone would go through paperwork and taxes to bring a F150 that is identical to one you could just buy (other than the metric gages) I do not understand.

[1995hoo]

Of the couple I had seen in the US, one was a Pontiac Sunrunner (Chevy Tracker) and the Acura version of the early-2000's Honda Civic, vehicles exclusive to Canada.

The latter sounds like the Acura EL, which was later renamed the Acura CSX. I remember seeing the EL on a trip to Mont-Tremblant in 2001 or 2002 (maybe both, as I went skiing there in both of those years) and wondering what it was, and when I investigated online after getting home I quickly determined it wasn't worth the trouble to try to import one.

[formulanone]

Acura CSX on M-59:


Not sure on the plate by the angle, but I spotted a Nissan Figaro in Houston - though my guess is that it was a JDM import, not a Mexican-import:


Mercedes-Benz B250, found near Austin, Texas; the B-class wasn't available in the US:


Audi A1, found in San Antonio:


Nissan Micra - found near Burlington, Vermont:

Someone in my neighborhood of Tacoma, WA has somehow registered a Canadian Toyota Echo 5-door. No idea how this is possible. It's not 25 years old and it was never sold here. I highly doubt Toyota OK'd it, as I think would be required to import it. My guess? Just slipped through. After all, the Echo was sold here. Just not as a hatchback.

You know, I've seen one or two of those as well; I've had to do double-takes because the Vitz/Yaris wasn't sold that way in the US but I'm not entirely sure.

I think (but can't confirm) that Canada's 15-year-rule for imports, then importing it to the US, allows one to bypass the 25-year-rule we have in the States. But don't quote me on that, ask an expert.

[corco]

Someone in my neighborhood of Tacoma, WA has somehow registered a Canadian Toyota Echo 5-door. No idea how this is possible. It's not 25 years old and it was never sold here. I highly doubt Toyota OK'd it, as I think would be required to import it. My guess? Just slipped through. After all, the Echo was sold here. Just not as a hatchback.

You know, I've seen one or two of those as well; I've had to do double-takes because the Vitz/Yaris wasn't sold that way in the US but I'm not entirely sure.

I think (but can't confirm) that Canada's 15-year-rule for imports, then importing it to the US, allows one to bypass the 25-year-rule we have in the States. But don't quote me on that, ask an expert.

Digging around online, it looks like the Canadian-Market Echo hatchback was certified for sale in the USA (kind of like the Mercedes B-Class), but just never was, so it meets all applicable safety standards/etc and would be legal to import outside of the 25 year rule. There are anecdotal stories of folks importing them as recently as 2003 as new cars.

I'm not sure about the 15/25 year loophole - I would be surprised if it works because I would expect people would be taking advantage of it. At least in this part of the country, ex-JDM 4WD Mitsubishi vans are quite popular but are all 25 years old. They're also very popular in BC but are ten years newer, and I haven't heard of an importer attempting to import vans to BC and then to the USA - not to say it can't happen, but that seems like a good business opportunity if it's possible to do so. I see roughly one unique JDM van every week down here, and in recent trips to BC you see even more of them.

[Takumi]

^ The current generation Mazda 2 is also certified for sale in the US, but is currently only sold in Puerto Rico. One could bring one over to the mainland easily, if you really really wanted to.

I've got plenty of photographs of JDM vehicles from car shows I've been to in recent years. I'll post some here tonight.

[renegade]

I was looking for a used truck a couple of years ago and bumped up across a Ford that was originally registered in Ontario.  The paper trail included a "normalization certificate" issued by the US DOT, followed by a registration in Indiana.  Why someone would go through paperwork and taxes to bring a F150 that is identical to one you could just buy (other than the metric gages) I do not understand.

When I was looking to buy a used truck, one of the local 'stealerships' around here offered me a low-mileage Ram pickup that looked like it had been beaten to shit.  I pulled a Carfax on it and discovered it had been built in Warren, Michigan,   originally registered in Jonquiere, QC and then (re)imported into the US.  Needless to say, I passed on this one.

A number of years ago, when getting across the border was easier,  I spotted a car at a dealership in Windsor.  I went inside and spoke with a salesman who matter-of-factly informed me that they could not sell me a vehicle under any circumstances, because there was no way it could be registered in Michigan, and the trade-in I was going to offer was worthless in Canada.  I didn't buy a vehicle. that day, either.

[Takumi]

As promised, here are some of my foreign market car sightings. All are from around Richmond unless otherwise noted.

The big one, the Nissan Skyline GT-R. This was taken at an open house at Japanese Classics. This is the R32 generation of Skyline, sold between 1989 and 1993 (and another year in GT-R form)


The next generation of Skyline, the R33, was produced between 1993 and 1998, though the GT-R didn't debut until 1995. This is a 1993 coupe. (I can say this with certainty because this photo was taken in 2018.)


These are some 1993 R33 sedans. I like the coupe better.


The black car is a Nissan 180SX, basically equivalent to the early 1990s 240SX hatchback but with a different engine. The yellow car is a Honda Beat, which I'll cover more later. Cars & Coffee Richmond, January 2020.


Nissan Gloria. Midsize RWD sedan. Also Cars & Coffee, but 2019?


Two Honda Beats. They're kei cars, which are a size of car in Japan limited by dimensions and engine size. The Beat is a mid-engined roadster, powered by a 660cc 3-cylinder engine making a whopping 64 HP. Doesn't sound like much, but they weigh next to nothing and by all accounts the Beat is a hoot to drive, though I merely sat in the yellow one. A successor, the Honda S660, is currently sold in Japan, but like the Beat it's a bit small for your typical American landscape.


A bit of a change up here. This Honda Del Sol is a US-market car, but has been converted to have the JDM retractable targa top called the Trans Top. The owner said it was a very difficult swap to do.


A first generation Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution. While these debuted in 1992 in Japan, we didn't get them until the eighth iteration of the Evo, as it's known for short, in 2003.


Local brewery Trapezium Brewing uses Mitsubishi Delica company vans.


This heavily modified Acura Integra is another US car that's been modified to have some Japan-exclusive stuff on it. In September 1995, the car got its first of two facelifts. Outside Japan, it was very minor, but in Japan, the car got a new front end that was more in line with the Accord and Prelude of the time, as the "bugeye"  front wasn't popular there. (This update also introduced the hardcore Type R trim, which wouldn't show up outside Japan until two years later.) The car on the left is a Toyota Celsior, the equivalent of the Lexus LS.


Early 90s Toyota Celica GT Four. This generation was sold in very small numbers in the US under the name "All-Trac" , but the following generation is much more heralded.


Toyota Sera. Looks interesting but is a Tercel/Paseo underneath.


1st generation Toyota Aristo (Lexus GS). Unlike my 2nd gen's rebadge, this was a JDM import. It came with the same legendary 2JZ-GTE twin turbo inline-6 engine as the 4th gen Supra, which actually debuted in the Aristo first.


Some Toyota JZX90s. These were analogous to the Cressida that was sold in the US until 1992, but in Japan were sold with three different names and for longer: Mark II, Chaser, and Cresta. The Mark II was the most common of the three, while the Chaser and Cresta were the respective sportier and more luxurious versions. All have minor differences. In this photo, the car on the left is a Cresta while the right is a Mark II.


The same Cresta. This generation of the X chassis was sold between 1992 and 1996 in Japan, with another one following it from 1996 to 2000 when the Chaser and Cresta were discontinued. The Mark II had an additional generation sold between 2000 and 2004 in sedan form and 2002 to 2007 in wagon form. There was also a short-lived successor to the Chaser and Cresta called the Verossa, but its controversial styling saw it have slower sales than the equivalent Mark II.


A Chaser of the same generation.


Three Mark II's for sale. The white one in the middle was a non-turbo base model.


Lastly, this Mustang race car, owned by DJR Team Penske, is used in Australia's Supercars racing series, but was on display at Virginia International Raceway last year.

[jakeroot]

I don't know if this actually counts. It's my own thread but I don't remember if it's within any rules I half-assed set.

I spotted a Renault Sandero (James May voice) in Boulder, CO: https://goo.gl/maps/6E2WQg7w2jxdem747

Has to be a Mexican plate.

[Takumi]

Great news!

https://youtu.be/ylxcU7E8if0

[kphoger]

I don't know if this actually counts. It's my own thread but I don't remember if it's within any rules I half-assed set.

I spotted a Renault Sandero (James May voice) in Boulder, CO: https://goo.gl/maps/6E2WQg7w2jxdem747

Has to be a Mexican plate.

I've tried my best to identify the plate through the Google-blur.  I agree that it's probably a Mexican plate, because I can discern that the serial number format matches that used in Mexico based on the image below.



My tentative guess is that it's from the state of Querétaro, 2008-2016 issue, with a colored registration sticker in the bottom-left corner.  I'm not 100% certain, though, because (1) the sticker appears to be yellow but I can't find a picture online of Querétaro having used yellow stickers, and (2) the GSV shot is from three years after that license plate series ended.

The first guess that immediately came to mind was the current Chihuhaua series, but the color of the bottom-left corner doesn't seem to match the federal seal that would be in that location.

It's also possible the car has a license plate frame, so who knows?