NYT: Importing Japan’s Forbidden Models

[cpzilliacus]

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/06/automobiles/importing-japans-forbidden-models.html

LIKE many young men whose passion is cars, Chris Collins learned early on where to find driving excitement. The tuner-division specials, the spirited models with high-revving engines and extrasensory suspensions – those were the machines he craved.

[Takumi]

The US is, I believe, the only country with these regulations on foreign market cars. What the article didn't mention is that Japan's inspection process is more rigorous than a typical American inspection, so JDM cars can become ineligible to drive in Japan after only a few years. When that happens, the cars are often exported to countries like Australia, knew Zealand, and the UK. Other times they may be dismantled and sold for parts so erican tuner enthusiasts can make those conversions like the article mentioned, although some states have inspection regulations that forbid this. Virginia isn't one of them; my own car has a JDM engine, used in a Honda Prelude Type-S or Accord/Torneo Euro-R, and I see many Acura Integras with JDM parts (aside from the car being badged as a Honda in Japan, the nose on 1994-2001 Integras was significantly different), among many other things.

[realjd]

The Japanese inspection process may be more rigorous, but that doesn't mean their standards are the same as ours. The article specifically mentions window class being thinner in JDM cars, something that doesn't meet our American crash standards.

I suspect that if the US waived automobile standards and started allowing the importation of these un-Americanized cars, the appeal would drop significantly.

And it's not just the US. Europe and the UK have similarly strict automotive standards.

[Takumi]

I suspect that if the US waived automobile standards and started allowing the importation of these un-Americanized cars, the appeal would drop significantly.

Probably. I agree that a lot of the allure of a car like a Skyline GT-R is its general non-legality, but, like the article said, some of the JDM versions of cars have significantly more powerful engines than their Americanized counterparts. Still, even as cars like the Nissan S13 Silvia and 180SX become eligible to import under the exemption in the next 5-10 years, I still think it will be significantly more cost effective to swap the engine from those cars into a 240SX than to buy the whole car.

[formulanone]

The problem is that there hasn't really been any attempt to create a "world standard" between European, Japanese, and North American markets in terms of crash testing, pedestrian safety, insurance compliance, et cetera. Having an international standard would probably cut a lot of manufacturing costs, because they don't have to produce, say...three different bumpers for each continent, just so everything's road-legal though the proper channels (NHTSB, JIS, Euro-CAP, RAC, DIN, FIA, et al).

On the other hand, the demand for a lot of Japanese "super-cars" dried up in America somewhere around 1995-96. A rising yen due to their economic woes/scandal which began around late-1991, meant that even before US tariffs were placed on the imports to prevent "dumping", those prices were uncompetitive compared to a similar-in-performance Chevrolet Camaro or Ford Mustang. Even though a Toyota Supra Twin-Turbo or a Mitsubishi 3000GT was a beast, you could get a Chevrolet Corvette for less.

The public was generally not willing to pay $30K-50K on a Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Mitsubishi, or Mazda...their public perception in the North American market was still that of quality econoboxes and small cars, and not yet that of sports-car. The USDM public was willing to spend a little extra for a luxury car, and eventually, as a new decade dawned, a luxury sport-utility vehicle instead.

The market almost completely vanished by 1999; no more RX-7, 240SX, Supra, 300ZX, and almost the entire market of compact cars had switched to front-wheel drive in America (which admittedly, was how Japan succeeded in America [by then] over a span of 30 years). Save the Acura NSX (which saw the axe by 2002, thanks to a price that nearly doubled in 10 years with little gain in performance), the flagging sales all around meant that Japan kept her best stuff in her homeland (and generally Australia/New Zealand, as well as isolated spots in Europe).

There had been a resurgence of sorts for 2003, when Subaru, who'd essentially been dormant in terms of performance products in the Americas, brought the Impreza WRX to our shores. Mazda brought the RX-8 to the worldwide market, and Nissan's 350Z found a good home in the Americas. Mitsubishi followed suit with their Lancer Evolution. Sports-car and Compact magazine flourished, games like Gran Turismo, and movies such as Fast & Furious put a national spotlight on the Supra and other imports again. The tuner scene switched to "imports", as the price of Detroit's finest from the 1960s and early-70s approached unattainable in price and cumbersome to use as daily transportation. They were "easier" to tune, upgradable parts were available everywhere, and the economy was in full swing again.

Recently, the economic crunch hit seemingly every manufacturer, and research and development slanted towards efficiency and ecologically-friendly pursuits. Motorsports budgets programs were largely slashed, and the trend towards performance went in a different direction; how to balance the power and acceleration everyone expects but increasing its efficiency and reduce (perceived) lower costs of ownership? And in the aftermarket, wallets couldn't be opened as wide towards tuning and modifying cars.

Years ago, you could import a Porsche, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, or Ferrari though "gray-market" importers; you went to the factory in Europe, and picked out exactly what you wanted. You saved a few bucks/Deutche Marks/Lire, but eventually broke even on transportation costs back to America. But the American dealer networks, led by Mercedes-Benz, lobbied to stop gray-market importing.

By 1989, the fun was over, and replaced with laws that forbid daily use of any car not legally brought into America. There's exceptions, like "show-car", "racing purposes", and occasional manufacturer "364-day exemptions" for testing and evaluation. No plates for those cars...but there are a few boutique manufacturers like Morgan and Spyker, for example, that will go through the trouble of crash-testing and conforming their cars to US-specifications that NHTSB and IIHS approves of for daily use. A set number of examples are destroyed in the process, so it can be quite expensive, if you're only selling about 100 or so cars a year!

There's one notable exception...the 25 Year Rule. If the car is over that age, it can limbo its way in and be registered for use in America. (Canada, I believe, is ten years.) One other is for non-street usage...lots of tiny Japanese equipment trucks that aren't much bigger than a John Deere riding mower have occasionally filed their way in as "used farm equipment". Daihatsu Midget II, anyone?

Well, there's always the Mazda Miata, Nissan 370Z, and the upcoming Toyota/Scion FR-S.

[Takumi]

Hypothetically, if I wanted to buy a JDM version of a car that already has an American version, such as a Honda Civic Type-R, would it have to be crash-tested?

[NJRoadfan]

Hypothetically, if I wanted to buy a JDM version of a car that already has an American version, such as a Honda Civic Type-R, would it have to be crash-tested?

See: http://stnw.nhtsa.gov/cars/rules/import/

Particularly this list: http://stnw.nhtsa.gov/cars/rules/import/elig100111.pdf

Basically unless its on the list, it will be very difficult to import. A registered importer can petition that a new model be added, but they have to prove that the car can be modified to meet the FMVSS and EPA emissions regulations (usually involves a crash test if the car is substantially different from anything offered in the US). Cars on that list have been imported previously and can be modified by a RI for use.

The Skyline has an interesting import history. Look up "Motorex", they were a RI that imported Skylines and went through the trouble of the crash testing and such, except they tried to claim that models from around 1990 to 1997 or so were all similar. The reality is that time period covered multiple generations with different chassis, and the feds eventually caught on. A lot of drama ensued and the Skyline was basically blacklisted.

Its a huge hassle, better wait the 25 years (15 years in Canada) instead. That Skyline owner in that article was pretty stupid to be interviewed. That car is likely illegally imported and the feds will require it either be exported out, or crushed.

[NJRoadfan]

The problem is that there hasn't really been any attempt to create a "world standard" between European, Japanese, and North American markets in terms of crash testing, pedestrian safety, insurance compliance, et cetera. Having an international standard would probably cut a lot of manufacturing costs, because they don't have to produce, say...three different bumpers for each continent, just so everything's road-legal though the proper channels (NHTSB, JIS, Euro-CAP, RAC, DIN, FIA, et al).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Forum_for_Harmonization_of_Vehicle_Regulations

Such a standard exists, the US and Canada are the only two countries that are not members. They already had existing vehicle standards. Vehicles can travel fairly easily between the US and Canada though, although there are slight differences between the US FMVSS and CMVSS. Canada requires DRLs for example, and until recently, they required 5mph bumpers, which they have since dropped and aligned with the US standards.

[Takumi]

See: http://stnw.nhtsa.gov/cars/rules/import/

Particularly this list: http://stnw.nhtsa.gov/cars/rules/import/elig100111.pdf

Very informative, thanks. The Civic Type-R isn't on the list, but what struck me as interesting was the inclusion of 1994-1997 Preludes. '97 was the first year of a new body style, and I believe the first year of the Type-S. 1994-1997 RHD Accord sedans and wagons are also included; the Accord SiR of that timeframe was a wagon. In '98 the JDM Accord split from the USDM version, becoming a predecessor to our Acura TSX; in fact, what we call the TSX is called the Accord there.

Basically unless its on the list, it will be very difficult to import. A registered importer can petition that a new model be added, but they have to prove that the car can be modified to meet the FMVSS and EPA emissions regulations (usually involves a crash test if the car is substantially different from anything offered in the US). Cars on that list have been imported previously and can be modified by a RI for use.

The Skyline has an interesting import history. Look up "Motorex", they were a RI that imported Skylines and went through the trouble of the crash testing and such, except they tried to claim that models from around 1990 to 1997 or so were all similar. The reality is that time period covered multiple generations with different chassis, and the feds eventually caught on. A lot of drama ensued and the Skyline was basically blacklisted.

Its a huge hassle, better wait the 25 years (15 years in Canada) instead. That Skyline owner in that article was pretty stupid to be interviewed. That car is likely illegally imported and the feds will require it either be exported out, or crushed.

Yep, the Skyline in the article is an R34. The list is very specific that only the R33, and only manufactured in between 1996 and 1998 (according to Wikipedia, this is when airbags were made standard), is legal. For what it's worth, my favorite Skyline is the R32, which will become legal starting in 2014.

[bugo]

The saddest development over the last 10-15 years is the decline of the 2 door coupe.  I don't want a 4 door car for various reasons, one being that it's much easier for me to get in and out of 2 door cars as I'm a fairly big guy.  Almost every manufacturer offered a low-priced FWD sporty coupe back in the '90s, but now they're almost extinct.  The manufacturers think everyone wants a sedan.  Ford, for example, makes exactly one 2 door car, the Mustang.  I believe Chevy makes two, the Camaro and the Corvette.  They made a 2 door Cobalt coupe, but the Cobalt was replaced by the 4 door sedan-only Cruze.  And now, the morons in the marketing departments of some automakers are starting to call 4 door sedans and even 4 door SUVs "coupes."  A coupe has 2 doors, period.  The Saturn Ion coupe and the Mazda RX8 are not coupes either.  I'm really disappointed with the auto industry for abandoning me.  I guess I'll continue to drive used cars for the rest of my life.

Another sad development is the decline of the manual transmission.  Now even Ferraris have automatics in them.  Ferrari only makes one car with a real manual transmission, and I expect for it to be dropped in the next 10 years.  At least Porsche is dedicated to the manual for now.  They have a 7 speed manual, which sounds like bliss to me.  It's not a sports car if it doesn't have a stick and 3 pedals.  Paddles are worthless and not a substitute for a good old fashioned manual transmission.  If I could design a new car for a daily commuter, it would be a compact FWD or AWD 2 door 2+2 coupe with a turbocharged 4 cylinder engine and a six speed manual transmission.  I prefer the driving dynamics of RWD, but FWD is better for driving in slick conditions, so it would be more practical than, say, a Mustang as a daily driver.  And AWD is even better on slick roads.  I live in a place that doesn't get a lot of snow, but we do get some snow and I wouldn't want a car that I couldn't drive in the snow/ice as my daily driver (A RWD car would be fine for a second car.)

Another thing that bothers me, although not as much as the other two, is the decline of the column shifter.  Column shifted manual cars went away in the '70s, and pickup trucks in the '80s.  There are still automatics on the column made, but they're getting rare.  Even some full sized pickup trucks have the transmission on the "floor" now.  I'd rather have a column shift if I had the choice.  

I feel the automakers have abandoned me.  I'm sure I'm not the only one.  I don't mind some modern developments like the hybrid, but sometimes newer is not better.  I'm still lamenting the decline of the OHV engine.

[JREwing78]

The new Subaru BRZ/Scion FR-S should be right up your alley, aside from (of course) that it's RWD. Yell at Ford to bring over their 3-door Focus and Fiesta; it's downright idiotic that you can only opt for 4 and 5-door versions here.

I'm a big guy myself, and frankly having only 2 doors on my Cobalt (it's a manual too!) is frequently a pain in the ass. I have to be ever vigilant of not putting door dings into the car I park next to. It also creates a challenge loading and unloading cargo that doesn't fit in the trunk. When I do have the luxury of plenty of room to each side, two larger doors can be easier than 4 smaller ones, but where I drive I rarely have that luxury.

Kudos to GM and Chrysler for keeping OHV designs relevant; they lose out on power output per displacement, but make up for it in their weight and packaging. Truth is, though, there's few vehicles out there today that couldn't get by with a 4-cylinder (turboed, if necessary). With fuel efficiency standards on the rise, it'll be increasingly difficult for manufacturers to justify the larger V6's and V8's outside of very high performance vehicles or large trucks.

[Sanctimoniously]

Yell at Ford to bring over their 3-door Focus and Fiesta; it's downright idiotic that you can only opt for 4 and 5-door versions here.

New-gen Focus doesn't have a three-door model, but I personally would be yelling at them to bring over their estate version.  Also, diesels. Ford's most powerful 2.0 Duratorq diesel is rated at the equivalent of 35 city/53 highway. . .with an automatic!

(We did derail the thread a little bit, though.)

[Takumi]

Upthread I mentioned the presence of 1994-97 Preludes on the exemption list, and thought this meant JDM versions; upon further review if this was the case they would have had RHD specified and it's not present. In this case the exemption is for German market Preludes. 15 were converted to convertibles over those years and most of them were then exported to the US.

[realjd]

The saddest development over the last 10-15 years is the decline of the 2 door coupe.

There are still a few around. The Nissan Altima is a good FWD 2-door coupe, and it comes with either a 175 hp I4 or a 270 hp V6. I've driven both variants and they're fun cars. The Infiniti G37 also comes in coupe form with a 330 hp engine and has both RWD and AWD options.

[Dr Frankenstein]

It'll only get harder to import those JDM cars as, I believe, the regulations will only get stricter (and for questionable reasons). As the JDM vehicle market was literally flourishing over here, Québec suddenly decided to ban all RHD vehicles from passing inspections, alleging the visibility issues were downright "dangerous" and despite the number of fatal accidents involving those being nil. As in most similar cases, almost all opposition, including petitions and demonstrations, was disregarded.

Something tells me that they're in some sort of ego competition with Ontario regarding the accident rate, but they're doing it wrong.

[Takumi]

^They may get harder to import into Canada, but I don't know whether the Canadian standards are as tough as the American ones for import eligibility, other than the age of the car. The American restrictions are tougher the newer the car is, as I believe they conform to the NHTSA's domestic standards of the time the car was manufactured, so an imported car would simply have to match a USDM car of that time period if it has one, and if it doesn't it would have to be modified to match.

As for Quebec's RHD ban, most imported JDM cars had an analogous LHD car somewhere when they were made, so they can be converted to LHD relatively easily compared to a JDM RHD-only car like the Skyline or S15 Silvia.

Edit: The S15 was also sold in Australia and New Zealand.