JDM
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AMG is well-known as the in-house tuner for Mercedes-Benz. However, it wasn't always that way. Until 1999 AMG used to do its tuning work for any automaker willing to pay. We bet you didn't know that once upon a time the Japanese automaker Mitsubishi was willing to pay for some German tuning. Thus the world got this incredibly obscure 1991 Mitsubishi Galant tuned by AMG. According to the video above from Pacific Coast Auto, about 500 of the AMG-tuned Galants were built. So, what did AMG do to make the car so special? Many of the upgrades reside under the hood. Foremost, AMG retuned the stock...
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US Customs seizes 1996 Nissan Skyline GT-R in South CarolinaSomeone's JDM dreams are about to be crushed. All JDM Motors, a company specializing in imported parts from Japan, attempted to smuggle a 1996 Nissan R33 Skyline GT-R into the U.S. with a container full of various other Nissan parts. But, the plan went awry during a random search of the shipping...
Sean Szymkowski -
Honda Vezel Unveiled At Tokyo Motor Show: Photo Gallery
At the Tokyo Motor Show today, Honda unveiled a new model that it calls the Vezel, which will go on sale in Japan before the end of the year. That name may well not be the one it carries in North America, however, where it will give Honda a new and smaller crossover that sits below the compact...
John Voelcker -
2010 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X Launched In Japan
Although the changes are limited to the Japanese market they could preview some planned revisions for the North American models as well.
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Nissan sends Infiniti EX to Japan as Skyline Crossover
Re-badging has stereotypically been the domain of U.S. carmakers, especially when crossing national borders, but Nissan/Infiniti are engaging in a bit of their own shell game with the Infiniti EX. Sending the vehicle to Japan as the Skyline Crossover, the car receives almost nothing in the way of...
Ralph Hanson -
Toyota unveils redesigned JDM Crown Majesta flagship
In most markets, the best Toyota sedan you could buy would be a Camry or Avalon but in Japan (and a few other select markets) you could step into one of several luxury flagship saloons based around Toyota’s Crown platform. The Crown is sold in a variety of models including a hybrid version...
Jeremy Weber -
Art imitates life, they say, though with video games getting so lifelike they look like playable movies, it's getting harder to tell which is life and which is art. Zele International has added to the confusion, showing off a new Gran Turismo edition body kit for the Infiniti G37, or Nissan Skyline Coupe as it's called in Japan, taken straight from the screens of Gran Turismo 5. The striking kit crosses the pixel-reality border surprisingly well, though the currency conversion isn't friendly: pricing in Japan starts out at ¥382,600 ($4,160) for the full kit. What comes in the kit? A grille...
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Nissan GT-R SpecV spotted in left-hand drive trim
Released just a few weeks ago, the Nissan GT-R SpecV promises to be an even more hardcore track-focused weapon than the original. Fans that had feared the SpecV might end up a JDM-only variant need fear no longer, as a left-hand drive model has been spotted in the wild, indicating foreign-market...
Ralph Hanson -
Subaru releases the Forester XTI SEMA show car
Combining the 2.5L turbocharged powerplant from the WRX STI with the Forester's roomy platform, the Forester XTI show car is one of the highest-performance SUVs this side of a Cayenne. Due for debut at the 2008 SEMA next week, the Forester XTI also lays claim to a 0-60mph (96km/h) time of less than...
Nelson Ireson -
Honda's Japanese-market Odyssey hits the sales floor
Americans know the Honda Odyssey as a solid-driving and fun minivan, but the Japanese get a vehicle by the same name that's more wagon than van, and even sportier to drive and look at. The newly redesigned version features several enhancements intended to make it feel bigger and more spacious while...
Nelson Ireson
