R34 GT-R and Other JDM Imports Could Be Pricer Due to Trump's Tariffs

Yahoo

16-03-2025

The JDM car market is small, but it could be affected by potential U.S. tariffs.
Currently, Japanese market trucks are already subject to a 25 percent tariff, but ordinary passenger cars only get a 2.5 percent ding.
Those importing expensive collectibles such as the R34 Nissan GT-R could face tens of thousands in extra costs.
Last month, the leaders of Japan's auto industry met with the Japanese government to discuss concerns about impending economic damage. Those concerns were, of course, about the possibility of incoming U.S. tariffs that will affect cars and parts imported from Canada and Mexico and the likelihood of similar tariffs being placed on Japanese imports. Not on the docket for those automakers—and perhaps an unexpected fallout from the current trade situation—is that used JDM imports may also be impacted.
Japanese Domestic Market cars, the forbidden fruit that never officially made it to U.S. shores, are a drop in the bucket compared with the global auto trade. However, with the likes of the R34-chassis Nissan Skyline GT-R finally aging into importability under the 25-year Department of Transportation rules, we're at the stage where enthusiasts are going to be going after the last of the golden age of bubble-economy Japanese imports. Already, there are warehouses full of GT-Rs, lined up and just waiting for their build date to hit that 25-year mark.
R34 Skylines were never inexpensive, and they've only become more collectible and more expensive as U.S. eligibility grew closer. More than just appealing to JDM enthusiasts, the car's presence in the Fast and Furious movies and the Grand Turismo video games made the GT-R a household name. The special-edition versions are now easily six-figure cars, and slapping an extra 25 percent tariff on top of them is going to hurt.
Also an issue is a possible spike in shipping costs. Japanese manufacturers of new cars are looking to fill up their U.S. supply of foreign manufactured cars before the tariffs go into effect, and that means cargo ships are full. The JDM market is small potatoes compared with the regular market, and increased demand for shipping may price out importers. On the flip side of this, if tariffs end up reducing demand for Japanese-built new cars, JDM imports might become less expensive.
Currently, the tiny kei trucks you might see running around are already hit with a 25 percent tariff under the well-known 'chicken tax' legislation. Generally, these are inexpensive little trucks, so the added cost isn't a particular issue. Most JDM vehicles are currently hit with a 2.5 percent importation tax, and if this balloons, there'll be fewer potential bargains out there.
With a strong U.S. dollar versus a relatively weak Japanese yen, the JDM market has been pretty tempting of late. Things are further helped by a supply glut, as Japan stopped exporting used cars to Russia—a major market for its used cars—sometime around the start of the war in Ukraine.
If the U.S. market for JDM cars dries up, many of them will instead end up in Australia and New Zealand, both of which are already a paradise for JDM cars. In the meantime, if you were saving up for your favorite Japanese-only model that you'd raced so many times in Gran Turismo, it'd be a good idea to put a little extra aside.
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