Latest news with #JapaneseDomesticMarket
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
YouTuber Drives The Mini Ibishu Pigeon And Survives The Experience
Read the full story on Backfire News It's always great to see car YouTubers put their craft before life and limb, like this one who drove the 'real' Ibishu Pigeon and somehow lived to tell the tale. It remains to be seen if the guy suffered any lasting neurological damage from the experience and once you watch the video you'll understand probably seen the really weird three-wheeled trucks which are common in the Pacific Rim, but the Ibishu Pigeon might be the worst of them all. It's a tiny, unstable, body-on-frame pickup which tips the scale at only a few hundred pounds. Really, it's a death trap on wheels. A regular Pigeon is a JDM (Japanese Domestic Market) vehicle that has a 550cc inline-three engine nestled between the two seats. Plus, the front wheel is turned using a belt-driven system. But the Ibishu Pigeon is half the size of a regular Pigeon at just 85 cm tall (that's just shy of 33.5 inches). It also has the engine located behind the driver instead of between the two seats, making it even more unstable. Thanks to the tiny size, there's only one seat inside. The driver uses some handlebars, but not nice ones like what you have on your Harley. Oh, and the body as well as the interior is all made of old Castrol oil barrels. The guy who built it used a Honda Gyro, a three-wheeled JDM moped, crafting the body around those mechanicals. But it doesn't have traditional brakes, just a sketchy hand brake. The doors don't latch, so they can fly open, and there are many other questionable things about the build. Apparently, this guy loves making deathtraps for other people to enjoy. He might be a genius, he might be sadistic, and likely is a little of both. Image via MuYe/YouTube
Yahoo
16-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
R34 GT-R and Other JDM Imports Could Be Pricer Due to Trump's Tariffs
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. You Might Also Like Car and Driver's 10 Best Cars through the Decades How to Buy or Lease a New Car Lightning Lap Legends: Chevrolet Camaro vs. Ford Mustang!
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Relic Of The Past: The Infamous JDM Speed Chime
Read the full story on Backfire News If you've ever driven an older Japanese Domestic Market (JDM) car, you've probably heard a weird speed chime coming from inside the dash. This unique feature, which some absolutely loathe and others find charming, was available only on vehicles made to be sold in Japan, so you won't get it on Japanese rides shipped to US speed limit in Japan in the 1980s was set nationally to 100 kmh, or about 62 mph. To help Japanese citizens not speed unintentionally, the government regulated that every car sold in the country had to have a chime device which was set off as soon as the speedometer hit 104 kmh or 65 mph. If you see the actual chime device, it just consists of a spring-loaded striker which his two different metal plates in rapid succession. Each plate produces a different pitch, hence the distinct sound some find maddening and others love. Japanese citizens are for the most part very into following laws, so people didn't get all riled up about this feature like Americans would. But as Americans have imported JDM vehicles as they reach 25 years old and can be legally brought into the country, they've learned about the speed chime feature. While the Japanese just accepted it, opinions here are split. Some will take apart the dash and remove the chime device entirely. While that's not a super difficult task, it is tedious, but they consider it a necessary job to preserve their sanity. After all, get on any highway in the US and you will be going over 62 mph, so the chime will sound the entire time. Unlike the seatbelt reminder chimes in some newer vehicles, where the dinging noise eventually silences, the JDM speed chime won't shut up, ever, until you start going 62 mph or slower. Beware this feature if you're looking at buying a 1980s or early 1990s JDM car. Image via Allan Robinson/Facebook Marketplace
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Relic Of The Past: The Infamous JDM Speed Chime
Read the full story on Backfire News If you've ever driven an older Japanese Domestic Market (JDM) car, you've probably heard a weird speed chime coming from inside the dash. This unique feature, which some absolutely loathe and others find charming, was available only on vehicles made to be sold in Japan, so you won't get it on Japanese rides shipped to US speed limit in Japan in the 1980s was set nationally to 100 kmh, or about 62 mph. To help Japanese citizens not speed unintentionally, the government regulated that every car sold in the country had to have a chime device which was set off as soon as the speedometer hit 104 kmh or 65 mph. If you see the actual chime device, it just consists of a spring-loaded striker which his two different metal plates in rapid succession. Each plate produces a different pitch, hence the distinct sound some find maddening and others love. Japanese citizens are for the most part very into following laws, so people didn't get all riled up about this feature like Americans would. But as Americans have imported JDM vehicles as they reach 25 years old and can be legally brought into the country, they've learned about the speed chime feature. While the Japanese just accepted it, opinions here are split. Some will take apart the dash and remove the chime device entirely. While that's not a super difficult task, it is tedious, but they consider it a necessary job to preserve their sanity. After all, get on any highway in the US and you will be going over 62 mph, so the chime will sound the entire time. Unlike the seatbelt reminder chimes in some newer vehicles, where the dinging noise eventually silences, the JDM speed chime won't shut up, ever, until you start going 62 mph or slower. Beware this feature if you're looking at buying a 1980s or early 1990s JDM car. Image via Allan Robinson/Facebook Marketplace
