Lemon 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...
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