Clik here to view.
Adventures In Global TV Marketing: The Citroën AX
Sure, Internet video is mostly about dental-fetish porn (particularly the very stimulating “spit sink” subgenre), but when the novocaine wears off and the last vinyl-clad hygienist has put aside her...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Roger Moore Gets 10,000 Pounds of Turbo Boost In His ’82 Corona GT
American car ads of the early 1980s came up short in several departments: Burning rubber, jet-engine-grade turbocharger sound, and blatantly sped-up film that made the cars appear to be going 300 MPH....
View ArticleClik here to view.
The New 2012 Camry (Japanese Spec)
Today, the 7th generation Camry was shown to the Japanese press in Tokyo. It was weeks after the new Camry had been shown in the U:S. and tested by the creme de la TTAC. Actually, it feels like Japan...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Adventures In Marketing: Mr. Tredia!
So there’s this gaijin with one-piece injection-molded plastic hair, like Ken, and he’s firing up the Tredia in some Delysidic maze. Then he sees these, uh, geese… My Cordia/Tredia obsession has...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Possibly the Greatest Badge Engineering Feat In History: Isuzu Statesman...
Last week, I had never heard of the Isuzu Statesman Deville. Then, my fellow LeMons Supreme Court Justice suggested that I do a quick internet search for the name of this fine...
View ArticleClik here to view.
If A Suzuki Grand Vitara Gets A Facelift, Does Anyone Care?
The Suzuki Grand Vitara was the second worst-selling small SUV in America last month, with 419 sold. The only competitor that fared worse was the now-dead Mazda Tribute, which sold 1 unit (ostensibly...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Shakken Up: How A Little American Persistance And One Little, Old Japanese...
My 1986 JDM Twin Turbo Supra Wherever I am in the world I will always be a typical American man. Despite a lot of the stereotypes that spring to mind when I say that, I learned a long time ago that it...
View ArticleClik here to view.
My Fantasy Life Laid Bare Part II: International Edition
Somebody Say I look like an old woman? Yesterday I shared with you dear, reader, one of my favorite games, the $5000 Craigslist Fantasy Challenge and you responded with a lot of great cars. Today I...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Look What I Found!: A JDM R34 Nissan Skyline in Detroit
People that don’t live in the Detroit area often assume that car shows and similar events in the region are all focused on American iron and Detroit muscle. The fact is that car guys in Detroit are...
View ArticleClik here to view.
In Japanese Bondage: The Honda Freed Hybrid and the Mazda MPV
Yesterday, I took a look at the Mitsubishi Delica Space Gear and the Toyota Hi-Ace, the “size queens” of the Japanese market. Today, I decided to look at the odd men out, so to speak, those mini-vans...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Reminder: Win A ’99 Skyline GTR JDM Sales Book
With the original post that explains how you can win a hardcover sales brochure for the 1999 Nissan Skyline GTR now buried a couple of pages deep, I thought I would give you this reminder that the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Question: What’s the Best Japanese Car Name Ever?
As we all know, the Japanese car industry has produced some of the greatest cars ever made, from the Isuzu Statesman Deville to the Autozam AZ-1. And, of course, the Japanese have come up with some of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Nissan Making Automatic Braking Standard On JDM Models By Fall
Nissan announced Tuesday that it will make automatic braking standard on all of its mass-market models in its home market of Japan. Reuters reports the first model to receive the now-standard feature...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Fifth-Gen Honda Step WGN Debuts With New 2016 Civic Engine, Tailgate System
Honda revealed the fifth-gen Step WGN for the Japanese market Thursday, which not only features a new flexible tailgate, but the same engine planned for the 2016 Civic. The main draw for the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Jeep Returns To Tokyo Motor Show After Eight-Year Absence
The last time the Detroit Three turned up at the Tokyo Motor Show was in 2007. One recession later, Jeep returns to Tokyo to represent the Motor City. Jeep will join Abarth, Alfa Romeo and Fiat on FCA...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Subaru Launches Impreza Sport Hybrid In Japan
Consumers in Japan will soon be able to purchase a new hybrid from Subaru, in the form of the Impreza Sport Hybrid. Power for the newest Impreza variant comes from a 2.0-liter DOHC flat-four paired...
View ArticleLemon or Lemonade?: A Visit to Yokosuka’s Vehicle Resale Lot
I had the opportunity this week to visit United States Fleet Activities Yokosuka, a U.S. Navy base in Yokosuka, Japan originally established in 1866 by the Japanese Imperial Navy. The facilities are...
View ArticleLemon or Lemonade?: Zing in Your Thing
I had another opportunity to visit United States Fleet Activities Yokosuka last week and, naturally, I brought along my camera for another visit to the “Lemon Lot.” While my last visit noted the many...
View ArticlePiston Slap: To Love A Sienna Like No Other?
TTAC Commentator MatadorX writes: Sajeev, I am hoping you and your readership can give me some guidance as to how far to take a vehicle overhaul: mild insanity or full on broke? The vehicle in question...
View ArticleAn Unexpected Japanese Classic: The Honda Mobilio
It wasn’t supposed to be like this. The Town & Country I worked so hard to import into Japan was supposed to be my wife’s. I had planned to buy whatever I wanted and, although I hadn’t quite...
View ArticleLemon or Lemonade: Enter the Imports
When I started kicking tires and taking photos at the Fleet Activities Yokosuka Lemon Lot, I was hoping to document the dark underbelly of the Japanese Domestic scene. I figured I would find all sorts...
View ArticleRare Rides: Toyota Mega Cruiser Tells HMMWV to Step Outside
In our last Rare Rides entry, we saw a Saleen sporting a lot of engine and little room, carrying a maximum of two physically fit human beings inside the cramped cockpit. That’s assuming neither of them...
View ArticleRare Rides: This 1995 Mitsubishi 3000GT VR-4 Can Go Topless
Over time, certain terms begin to evoke very specific images in the minds of human beings. For instance, when someone utters the word “truck,” a medium-blue color circa-2010 F-150 comes to mind....
View ArticleRare Rides: This 1990 Toyota Town Ace Simply Kills It
High atop Mount Forbidden, the “other market’s” imported vehicle stands alone. It awaits that special day, some 25 years in the future, when the clouds will break and a descent into the mortal realm is...
View ArticleRare Rides: In Memoriam, Toyota Century
Heads of state and other dignitaries typically like to ride around in large, sedan-shaped vehicles. Offerings like the Mercedes-Benz S-Class and contemporary Rolls-Royce sedans have long been the go-to...
View ArticleConfirmed: Mazda CX-8 Will Not Come To America; Mazda CX-4 Still Won’t, Either
Spotted recently on the streets of Chicago was a Japanese crossover that will never — not in final production form — actually make it to the streets of Chicago. Nor to the streets of any other American...
View ArticleRemember That CX-8 Mazda USA Can’t Have? It Won’t Remain Exclusively in Japan...
The Mazda CX-4 is essentially a more style-centric variant of the Mazda CX-5. But you can’t have it. The Mazda CX-4 is for China alone. The upcoming Mazda CX-8, meanwhile, straddles the middle ground...
View ArticleAnd Now It’s Obvious Why the Mazda CX-8 Won’t Be Imported to America
First, we heard about the Mazda CX-8. Then the Mazda CX-8 was spotted on the streets of Chicago, Illinois. Which is in the United States. And then Mazda confirmed that the CX-8 would most definitely...
View ArticleAll of the New 2018 Toyota Camrys Sold in America in July Were Japan Imports
We learned early in July that many of the early 2018 Toyota Camrys available in Toyota’s U.S. showrooms wouldn’t be built in Toyota’s Georgetown, Kentucky, assembly plant. Through June, not a single...
View ArticleGovernment Intervention is Intentionally Killing the Japanese Kei Car
Anyone with an interest in odd cars probably has at least a passing fascination with Japanese kei cars. As a member of that small subset of enthusiasts, I have a long-held fantasy that involves owning...
View ArticleWe’ll Tell You One More Time: The Mazda CX-8 Is Not Coming to America
We’ve told you before. Now, with the Mazda CX-8 making its proper debut, we’ll tell you one more time after yet more confirmation from Mazda. The Mazda CX-8 is not coming to America. Mazda has its...
View ArticleThe Toyota FJ Cruiser Liveth! For a Little Longer, In Japan, In Beige
Has there ever been a better time for a Toyota Tacoma-based, offroad-oriented, style-conscious SUV? It’s 2017. Americans are fully invested in the idea of riding high. Jeep is selling 17,000 Wranglers...
View ArticleIntroducing a New Flagship Toyota – the 2018 Century
Earlier this year, Rare Rides memorialized the end of the long-lived V-12 Toyota Century. At that time there was no word on a new Century replacement, so Toyota was left with a Lexus vehicle as...
View ArticleToyota Reportedly Plans to Slash Half of Its Japanese Lineup Over Eight Years
Toyota Motor Corporation is considering the possibility of cutting its home market product lineup by half. Toyota currently markets more than 60 models in Japan, but there’s no expectation that the...
View ArticlePicture Time: Infiniti’s Forgotten M30, With a 300ZX Engine
For two years right at the inception of the Infiniti brand, the automaker’s lineup featured an M30 coupe and convertible. Sharing a body with the JDM Nissan Leopard, under the hood lay the VG30 engine...
View ArticleNissan Back On Track in Japan, Resumes Vehicle Production
Nissan is resuming production at five of its domestic plants this Tuesday after Japan’s transport ministry finally approved changes to the improper final-inspection procedures that forced a major...
View ArticleReal Fake News: Donald Trump and Where Japanese Manufacturers Choose to Build...
On Monday, President Donald Trump requested that Japanese automakers consider assembling their vehicles in the United States. “Try building your cars in the United States instead of shipping them over....
View ArticleRare Rides: The 1984 Honda City, a Microscopic Cabriolet From Japan
Our last Rare Ride was a little first-generation Honda Civic from 1977. Since everyone seemed to like that little red box, today we bring you a little blue box from Honda. It’s a bit newer, and also a...
View Article