What is a Japanese or grey import?
In the media, much has been written and said about so-called Japanese or grey imports but what does the term actually mean? Japanese car manufacturers such as Toyota, Honda, Mazda and Nissan produce cars for sale to Japanese buyers, and in the same factories they produce cars for the UK market. In the UK they sell their cars through there own network of dealers, and likewise in Japan. Basically imports are just vehicles that have been used on Japanese roads, but are then purchased second-hand from Japanese auctions or car dealers and shipped over to the UK for British buyers. Imports often get a bad press, but there is nothing mysterious about them… actually if you think about it,all Japanese cars that come to the UK are imports, even the new ones!
