As for performance cars, models such as the Toyota MR2, Toyota Supra, Subaru Impreza, Nissan R34 GTR, Nissan Skyline, Nissan 180SX and others are all among popular choices. Performance and Kei Carsįurther above, we mentioned the popularity of performance models and so-called “kei” cars in the JDM sphere. The uniqueness of the models makes them very attractive to the right sorts of buyers. Some are bought at auction by independent car dealerships, fixed up and then sold on for profit. With right-hand drive cars being common to all these countries (meaning the wheel is on the right-hand side of the passenger cabin), as well as having a more permissive import culture, it’s relatively easy to bring in JDM cars to these markets. With the exception of Canada, there’s something that joins together the Japanese, New Zealander, British and Australian markets - they all drive on the left-hand side of the road. Outside of New Zealand, JDM has also found great popularity in the UK, Canada and Australia. Two more categories that find a lot of popularity are the high-performance sports cars and “Kei” cars, which we’ll look at further below. Popular models in New Zealand include (but are not limited to): In real terms, the nation imported some 134,800 JDM vehicles between 20. In New Zealand, around 60 percent of registered on-road vehicles originate from overseas markets.Īmong these imports, a staggering 94 percent of them are Japanese models. Looking purely at statistics, one has to acknowledge that New Zealand is perhaps the greatest fan of JDM vehicles. Where Do JDM Models Find the Most Popularity? We’ll explore both of these ideas in more depth below. Never heard of these? That’s because they’re JDM models.įinally, there is the existence of the so-called “JDM Culture” which refers to those who import JDM cars in order to take advantage of their modification potential, or to stand out massively from the crowd with a car that perhaps no one else has in their neighborhood, perhaps even their county or state. Popular models have included the Isuzu Elf, Isuzu Giga, the Mitsubishi Canter, the Hino Profia…the list goes on. Countries like the Philippines, for example, are not as cash rich as China and don’t have a strong domestic manufacturing base for commercial vehicles like trucks.īuying new models from China is expensive, as it is from Japan, but JDM surplus models, on the other hand, are very affordable and readily available.
The UK export models were compared to castrated animals in their lack of power and performance.Īnother factor is a need for affordable fleet vehicles. Some JDM models are a unique and invariably better version of an export model.įor instance, fans of the sporty Subaru Impreza models in the UK were chasing JDM models for their more powerful engines and better performance capabilities. The above explains the supply of JDM cars, but where does the demand come from? The first factor that explains JDM demand is the uniqueness of the vehicles. The Japanese model of switching cars more frequently often leaves a huge surplus of vehicles that the companies have nothing else to do with but either sell to overseas buyers, or destroy. This forces Japanese OEMs to move more aggressively to get these tech items integrated and working in JDM models, even if it’s not 100 percent perfect yet. Japanese car owners are much more likely and willing to change a car after a shorter time if it means getting the latest technological thing. Some may argue that some emerging technologies like AR navigation is helping to narrow that gap, with many young western buyers more enamored with technological upgrades than previous generations. The Japanese market is driven much more by technological innovation and the integration of new technologies, whereas western markets are more forgiving of this aspect, instead favoring cars that will last a long time and can be used dependably for up to a decade or so. European/North American expectations, however, it’s like looking at 2 completely different worlds.
#JDM MEANING DRIVERS#
Why such a distinction? Well, western drivers take for granted that many factors behind European and North American car production are in alignment, with the exception of gas mileage where European expectations are much higher. In other words, they are not export models. JDM stands for Japanese Domestic Market, and it refers to cars that are initially manufactured with the intention of being sold exclusively in Japan’s home market. Are JDM cars illegal in the US? What Does JDM Mean?
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