Shiotsu Autotrade Japan – President’s Blog

The top four most stolen cars on the list have not changed since 2006.  As per the annual “Hot Wheels” report, the 1995 Honda Civic is the most stolen car in the United States. The 1991 Honda Accord takes the second honor, followed by the 1989 Toyota Camry. The 1995 Honda Civic is stolen more often than any other car in the United States, as per NICB (National Insurance Crime Bureau). Other all-time favorites among the car thieves include the Acura Integra and Nissan Sentra.

Why do the used Japanese cars such as 1995 Honda Civic and 1991 Honda Accord are the top picks among professional car thieves? According to the NICB, car thieves continue to target these older cars because they provide the best price for stolen car parts. For car thieves, such cars are a pure treasure, even though you or the insurance company may consider these cars as a piece of junk. The car itself may not have much value, but its seats, airbags, converters, engine components, sound system, and other parts are worth a lot of money on the black market, when sold individually.

Parts of new vehicles are not as in demand as those of older models. The older models were hot selling models a few years ago, and now need parts for replacement so they are ripe for the car lifting.  So if you own an old Honda Civic or Honda Accord, please take good measures to prevent your car from being stolen.

Technorati Tags: Honda Civic, most stolen car, Honda Accord, Japanese cars

This month when I traveled to China on a business trip, one of my friends who is in the exports business, presented me with a Marlboro cigarette box.  As Marloboro is not one of my favorite brands of cigarette, I refused it politely.  But he insisted that I open it and have a look.  When I opened it, I was surprised to find that it was a fantastic cigarette box which can hold cigarettes and it also had a functional mobile phone.

This Marlboro cigarette box has GSM dual band mobile phone, and it also features a 1.8 inch LCD which offers a display of 260,000 colors with 176 x 220 pixel resolution.

In Japan, I have not seen mobile phones like this; and I can not use this one in Japan, as GSM mobile phones are not supported in Japan.  But this product would be a hit in countries such as the United States, Australia, or England.

This Marlboro phone costs only around US$120. If any of you are interested in importing this phone on a large scale, please get in touch with me. I will introduce my friend to you.

Technorati Tags: China, exports, Marlboro, mobile phone, Japan, import

We had a long holiday in Japan this week because of the Obon festival. Most Japanese people go to their ancestral places to pay respects to their ancestors during this period. All the used car and truck auctions in Japan were closed this week. I took this opportunity to visit Thailand and India on a business cum pleasure trip.

India is a colorful country and trucks are no exception.  During my visit to Mumbai, I could see many typical Indian truck designs – often decorated in a colorful way.  The body of the trucks is often built in private workshops, and it is constructed specifically to be decorated.  The workshops employ skilled craftsmen who specialize in truck design and decoration. I personally feel that the decoration is a way to show respect for the vehicle.  In Japan too, we have decorated trucks commonly known as ‘dekotora‘. I will introduce ‘dekotora’ in my next post.

I could also see many old designs of  trucks in India – still in running condition.  It may not be possible for us to see such trucks in Japan, except in a museum.  I have nothing but the greatest admiration for the people around the world who can keep old cars and trucks running forever.

Technorati Tags: Japan, Japanese, used car, truck, auction, India, decoration, dekotora