Car Watch: Toyota Regius and Vans

In continuation of our series, the Toyota Regius is a van made in Japan that is often exported throughout the world. There are many different sub-models that you’ll be able to find. That means you can find passenger versions, cargo models, a combo passenger/cargo type. Also they can be extended in length and height, they can be Deluxe versions, or stripped versions (useful for business purposes). You can also find many of them have duel sliding doors. There many choices to choose from (something you’ll see typical in Japan), and if the Regius styling isn’t your taste, there also many other van and people/cargo movers that are available in Japan.

For example, JCarBuys has a 2000 Toyota Regius Super GL with some photos available:

When you are looking for quality used vans and cargo/people movers, Japan offers many vehicles of various sizes, uses, and designs. Japanese used car exporters are often more than willing to help you purchase such vehicles.

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Webtip: Searching Foreign Images

I would like to suggest a new tool I’ve found for those interested in search images that are tagged with foreign words (ie: Japanese) without having to know what to type.

To explain, ForiSearch takes one language input and translates it into a second language, then it searches Google, Yahoo!, or MSN images searches for images with such text.

LANGUAGE #1 > translates to LANGUAGE #2 > search GOOGLE, YAHOO!, OR MSN for related images.

It is very simple and useful for Japanese used car exporters and importers to use. There are many applications to use it with. For example, an Importer can search for a particular word and get 1. the word in Japanese, and 2. images to confirm the translation is correct.

To show: I typed in “rust” with Japanese selected as which language I wanted to search in. I got さび (if you see question marks, don’t worry, they mean rust). And to make sure my translation is right, I see a number of images with metal having rust forming.

Don’t worry if some of the images aren’t exactly what you are looking for. Sometimes that is because in the other language, the word has more than one meaning. Just as long as you get a majority of the photos of what you are looking for, you should have the right translation.

Link: ForiSearch

UPDATE: You can also search videos in Youtube in foreign languages!

Russia considers raising Import Duty …again

UPDATE: RUSSIA TIGHTENS USED CAR IMPORTS

Once again, the Russian government is considering sharply raising Import Duty on used cars to stem the tide of second-hand vehicles entering Russia. Consistently for the past few years Russia has been the top Japanese used car importer, where even last year alone they imported 441,539 used cars and this year looks set to clearly surpass that amount by the end of this year. Being that they import more than four times the amount of automobiles than the next biggest Japanese used car importing country, having Russia exports restricted can hurt this export industry.

The cause of them thinking about raising duties no doubt has multiple factors. For one, Russia has a long history of heavily favoring Lada (a Russia car manufacture) by keeping competition costly with high import costs. Another factors include the desire to get foreign car manufactures to set up plants within Russia (providing Russians jobs), cut the amount of money leaving Russia, and to be less dependent on the used car market.

On the bright side for Japan’s exporters, the idea of raise used car import duty is not new. In fact it has been discussed many times, but dropped when the far-east Russians protested. This is because the majority of the far east Russia relies on Japanese and Korean used cars which are affordable for those living in that market.

Source – Forbes

Car Watch: Honda Integra Type R

Continuing our series all about the different types of vehicles you can find from Japanese used car exporters, this time we will focus on the Honda Integra Type R. Coming from one of the most popular manufactures for cars, the Integra Type R is of the sporty variety, popular about car enthusiasts and car tuners.

For those who are unfamiliar with a somewhat common terminology, not all Integras are Type R. Type R refers to the “Racing” type of a vehicles (same as Civic Type R), which involves the car’s weight being reduced by taking anything unnecessary out and also using more performance-orientated parts for vital systems. The other way to look at it is that a Type R car is generally more uncomfortable, noisier, and much less “options” that would otherwise weigh down the car. As an example, here is a 2000 Honda Integra Type R:

When considering if there is a market for these types of vehicles in your country, you must also consider import rules concerning these cars. Often, they are using after market parts instead of the standard stock parts and because of that, they may not qualify to come into your country. On the other hand some countries don’t mind you import special vehicles as long as they pass safety and emission tests (such as Australia).

Even if you don’t particularly like these types of cars as an importer, maybe there is niche market where you are for these types of vehicles. Another benefit is the cars generally produce very passionate crowds that are willing to go extra lengths to purchase such a vehicle.

Related Pages:
Car Watch: Mercedes-Benz A-class
Car Watch: Toyota Landcruiser Prado

Car Watch: Mercedes-Benz A-class

Looking around to find the most opposite vehicle I could to the last car we’ve highlighted (the Toyota Landcruiser Prado), I found the 2001 Mercedes-Benz  A-class 5d  A160. Compared to the Landcrusier Prado, there seems nothing similar except that it’s a vehicle. The A-class is a much smaller 5door (hatchback), German, in the sub-compact class, much more efficient (13.2km each liter or 4.9L for each 100km), and much different styling. Here’s some photos of the vehicle:

It’s not a beast. It’s the complete opposite. Maybe you or your customers are looking from something that is effecient and fitting for a city. Having such a small car (although not a Kei) is a big benefit in many ways. Also, perhaps you can find the European look stylish to your taste. However it is, if you or your customers are liking this, don’t forget that you can get them in Japan. Japan has both LHD and RHDs of these models (although more often you will see RHDs).

Car Watch: Toyota Landcruiser Prado

The Toyota Landcruiser Prado has been a very popular SUV in Japan and other nations. The most obvious difference of it (the Prado) and the normal is that it’s noticably smaller. It goes by the name Lexus GX 470 in the United States, but it is still called Land Cruiser Prado in many other countries such as Australia, South Africa, and in the Middle East and Latin America.

To give an example, our friends at JCarBuys have a 2007 Toyota Landcruiser Prado available on stock. Here are some photos of how it looks:

As you can see, the Prado is very attractive and popular with importers in many countries that desire or need these types of vehicles. They also come with a lot of equipment. Here a list of some things you can see found in this type of car:

automatic air conditioning (climate control), anti-lock brakes, alloy wheels, power steering, power windows, sun roof, supplemental restraint system (air bags), four wheel drive, cd player, television, navigation, leather seats, stereo, tiptronic, 7-seats, and more.

Remember when your looking at different years in the Land Cruiser Prado model range, there are different different model generations:

• First came the LC 70-Light series built on the J7 platform which was between 1984 and 1990
• Second came the LC 70-Series also built on the J7 platform from 1990 to 1996
• The LC 70-Series was replace by the LC 90-Series (J9 platform) during 1996 which last till 2002
• Currently, the LC 120-Series has been in production on the J12 platform since 2003

You might want to consider such a vehicle for you and your customers if small, classy SUVs are popular in your country.

Information source – Wikipedia