Shiotsu Autotrade Japan - President’s Blog

We get many requests for second hand Japanese cars and trucks from used car dealers as well as private importers in Zambia and Kenya.  We would like to inform you about the recent changes in regulations for importing second hand vehicles from Japan to Zambia and Kenya.  Kenyan government and Zambian government require all the vehicles that would be imported to these countries to undergo JEVIC inspection.

JEVIC (Japan Export Vehicle Inspection Center Co Ltd) is an independent Japanese organization which specializes in pre-shipment inspection and certification of used vehicles exported from Japan to various countries.

As per new regulation for importing used vehicles to Zambia, the ZABS (Zambia Bureau of Standards) has appointed JEVIC for Roadworthiness Inspection of second hand vehicle from Japan destined for use within the Republic of Zambia, prior to export.  From May 14, 2009, all used vehicles exported from Japan to Zambia will need to undergo Road Worthiness Inspection by JEVIC.

The inspection criteria of Japanese used vehicles Kenya have also changed.  Please check the new regulation for importing used vehicles to Kenya for more details.  To summarize, all used vehicles imported from Japan to Kenya must meet the following criteria.

• All second hand vehicles imported to be imported to Kenya should be less than eight year old
• The imported used vehicles should be RHD (Right Hand Drive)
• The used vehicles should be accompanied with a Certificate of Roadworthiness issued by KEBS (Kenya Bureau of Standards) authorized by JEVIC.

We can arrange for the inspection before shipment, however, it may take up to two weeks depending on the availability of the inspectors.   You would need to pay the Inspection fee JPY 13,625 and our administration fees.  Once the JEVIC inspection is completed, we will book your vehicle for shipment.  Please note that you will have to face penalty in Zambia and Kenya, if you try to import vehicles without the JEVIC certificate

Technorati Tags: second hand vehicles from Japan, Zambia, Kenya, JEVIC inspection, JEVIC

The Wheels Magazine Car of the Year award for 2008 has gone to Japanese Car - Honda Accord Euro.

The Honda Accord Euro won this award which is recognized as one of the most prestigious global awards in motoring industry. The Japanese car outclassed an array of 35 other new cars introduced in 2008.  Eight expert judges from Wheels magazine tested 18 new car models over a period of 7 days, covering over 10,000 Kms.  The selection criteria was based on  five key areas; technology, function, environmental safety, value, and efficiency.

Honda Accord Euro is an exceptionally well–rounded car where the company has taken painstaking care to build quality and detail. It has an outstanding dynamics, great passenger comfort, and supreme driver satisfaction.

This is the fifth time Honda, has won the Wheels Car of the Year Award - first time it was the original Honda Accord in 1977, which also happened to be the first car from Japan to win this prestigious award.  Other Honda models which have won this award include Honda Odyssey in 1995, the Honda NSX in 1991, and  the Honda Prelude in 1987. Now, after 14 years, the Honda Accord Euro has triumphed, winning the 46th annual award of the world longest continuously running Car of the Year Award.

The award winning Honda Accord Euro is available in three models. We can also supply used car models of equivalent Japanese version of this car.

Technorati Tags: Wheels Magazine, Japanese Car, Honda Accord, Honda, used car, Japanese

Motor Trend Magazine has named Nissan’s new sports car, the Nissan GT-R as its 2009 car of the year.  As per the evaluation report - the 2009 Nissan GT-R supercar,  which is formerly known as Skyline -  delivers a world class level of performance, handling, and efficiency that rivals the world’s best-known supercars, at a much more affordable price.

The editor-in-chief of Motor Trend, Angus MacKenzie, mentioned that the Japanese car - Nissan GT-R rewrites the rule-book for high performance cars, and none of the other 2009 competitors could “crush” the magazine’s criteria like the GT-R did.

The 2009 GT-R is the sixth generation of Nissan’s flagship sports car.  The GT-R abbreviation stands for Gran Turismo Racer.  The GT-R extracts more than 450 horsepower from its 3.8-liter twin-turbo V-6 engine while still meeting emissions laws, and also features GR6 six-speed twin-clutch transmission. 

If you compare the GT-R with Porsche 911,  both have about 480 hp; however, the GT-R costs half as much as the Porsche. 

If you are interested in importing Nissan Skyline GTR models, we can help you find the right model matching your requirements.  So far, we have exported hundreds of Nissan GT-Rs to satisfied customers worldwide.

Technorati Tags: Nissan, Nissan GT-R, Skyline, supercar, Japanese car, sports car

We now live in a generation where even entry-level cars and subcompacts are surprisingly well made. It was possible because of a revolution started mainly by Japanese Car makers like Toyota and Honda.  Many of the mainstream French, British,  and Italian car makers are no more favored by car owners because they neglected issues of quality, engineering and design.  Today’s cars have become more complex, and the owners prefer them to be cost-competitive. Mediocre cars are going out of business. 

In a recent survey conducted by iMotormag, nearly 25%  Brits picked the Allegro as the worst car, even though production of it ended 25 years ago. The Austin Allegro has been described by most Brits as the world’s ‘worst car ever’.  Made by British Automaker Leyland between 1973 and 1983, the car was plagued with so many design problems, it was dubbed the “All-aggro”.

According to a survey, the world’s ten worst cars are as follows:

1. Austin Allegro

2. Morris Ital

3. Talbot Sunbeam

4. Austin Princess

5. Hillman Imp

6. Rover 200

7. Triumph Acclaim

8. Rover 800

9. Morris 1800

10. Triumph TR7

You can note that not a single Japanese car features in the world’s ten worst cars!

Technorati Tags: Japanese, Car, Toyota, Honda, Allegro, worst car

As per recent news article by BBC, Cars made by Japanese Car manufacturers are the most reliable, according to a survey by Which? Car magazine in UK.  Japanese car manufacturers have once again strengthened their already formidable reputation for first class engineering by leading a reliability testing done by one of the UK’s most detailed motoring surveys.

Cars manufactured by Japanese Auto makers comfortably outperformed British models when it came to dependability and reliability, as per the survey carried out by Which? Car magazine.  Japanese Car makers took the top seven places for reliability in a table compiled after a study of 89,768 cars of 38 brands.  Honda was the winning car manufacturer from Japan, followed by Toyota, Daihatsu, Lexus, Mazda, Subaru and Suzuki.

Statistical analysis based on readers’ reports of total breakdowns, faults that required a vehicle to be taken to a garage and minor niggles - was used to calculate a Brand Reliability Index used in scoring. 

Eight of the top ten most reliable brands were from Japan. The seven manufacturers in the “very good” category were all Japanese.  Only Hyundai and Porsche from Germany were the only non-Japanese car makers which made it into the “good” category.

Technorati Tags: Japanese Car, Japanese, car, Auto, British, Honda, Japan, Toyota

Carlos Ghosn, chief executive of Nissan, recently said in a statement that Nissan is aiming to launch an electric car in the Japanese and US market by 2010. Nissan aims to offer their electric cars globally by 2012, in their long term plan.

In this world of rising gas prices and pollution, Nissan Electric Cars would also be able to meet the stricter fuel-economy standards in developed nations through this initiative.

Nissan has plans to develop subcompact electric cars powered by self-developed lithium-ion batteries. With this Nissan has now become the first Japanese automaker to announce their plans to develop and sell mass market, all-electric vehicles globally.  This would put them in direct competition with domestic rivals Honda and Toyota both of which are already selling hybrid cars in Japan and USA.

Technorati Tags: Nissan, electric car, Japanese, cars, pollution, Honda, Toyota, hybrid, Japan

Japanese Mini-Trucks also known as Kei-trucks are normally used as work trucks in Japan. But these days some Drift enthusiasts are modifying these truks for Drifting. So do not be surprised if you see a Japanese Minitruck competing with Nissan Skyline sports car in a Drift Event.

Well, there is always some excitement for those who want to try something different. And if you watch this video, you will definitely agree that it is indeed fun to watch these trucks doing challenging course at top speed in drifting events.

Though we do not deal with modified mini-trucks for Drifting, we can definitely supply new or used mini-trucks for other purposes.

Technorati Tags: Japanese, Mini-Trucks, Kei-trucks, Japan, Drift, Drifting, Nissan, Skyline

Based on news from Trading Markets, Hino Motors - Japan’s major manufacturer of heavy duty trucks, is planning to export trucks to Russia and India in 2009. Hino aims to sell 10,000 units a year in each country.

Due to a construction boom and rapid economic growth, Russia has a growing need for trucks. According to Avtorevyu, Russia imported 39,469 trucks (new and used) in the first eight months of 2007.

The truck demand in India is growing at a rate of over 30% every year. Tata and Ashok Leyland are major truck makers in India.  But there is clear demand for environment friendly trucks because of stricter pollution control rules. Hino is planning to tap that market.

For the time being, Hino will ship the trucks from Japan, but it will consider local assembly when unit sales reach 10,000 in each market.

This is a good news for our customers in Russia and India who import used Hino trucks, that they will soon have authorized Hino service centers in their countries.

Technorati Tags: Hino, Japan, trucks, Russia, India, used