CALLING ALL JDM BADGED AZINERS:

I was going out to lunch with a friend Friday, and we passed my buddie's G35 on the way. It's rebadged as a Nissan Skyline. Now the friend I was walking with knew his fair share of cars, but it stopped when you started talking about slip angle, cam timing, stuff like that. And of course, JDM badging.

He noticed the Nissan badges on the grille of the car. This was how our conversation went:

Friend: Hey, isnt that an Infiniti?
Me: Yes
Friend: They why does it say Nissan Skyline?
Me: Because that's what it is.
Friend: It's a G35.
Me: In North America, it is. The car was made in Japan, and there its a Nissan Skyline.
Friend: Why are there two different names for the same car?
Me: Because North Americans have a fetish for random letters and numbers bunched together, Japanese don't.
Friend: So why did he badge it as a Skyline?
Me: Because that's what the car is called in Japan.
Friend: But we're in Canada.
Me: But the car originated in Japan.
Friend: So why is it called the G35 here?
Me: We JUST did this.
Friend: It doesn't make sense.
Me: Chemistry doesn't make sense. This does.

In short, we blew an entire lunch conversation on this topic. How do you manage to explain the concept of JDM badging?

 

If i'm correct, back when the car companies formed, they were limited to how many models they could bring to the US. Thus came Toyota and Lexus, Acura and Honda, Nissan and Infiniti. They split the cars up so the companies could have more variety from the same parent Company.

In japan, they don't have such regulations so they just use 1 brand, Nissan, Toyota, and Honda.

 

you dont. regular people dont understand. and enthusiasts think its silly

 

^ agree

 

no

 

Marketing: "Mr. _____, how would you like to buy this Datsun Fairlady to show how macho you are? Oh, we also have a few Silvias back there if you need 4 seats."

 

Does it really make you feel better driving a Skyline instead of a G35?

 

^ ricers do

 

Not exactly. Toyota brought the Lexus name here in 2005/2006. The following cars were the ones that are sold as a JDM Lexus (with JDM Toyota name):

SC 430 (Soarer)
ES 300 (Windom)
GS 350 / 450 (Aristo)
LS 460 (Celsior)

Honda and Nissan have not followed suit.

Honda has kept the Legend name for their top of the line sedan. The Saber/Inspire was dropped when Acura went to the 3rd Gen TL. The USDM Accord is sold here as the Inspire (and it starts at $35K for the 6 cyl. No 4 banger here). The TSX is sold as the Euro Accord (and the Euro Accord R as well).

Nissan sells all Infiniti cars as JDM's with their original names:

I30 (Bluebird)
M35/45 (Fuga)
G35/37 (Skyline)
Q45 (Cima)

If I missed any let me know. But the thing with the JDM market is that the Japanese come up with some of the most stupid engrish names for their cars, that they would suck if they tried to sell them.

 

^i thought Q45 was the President in Japan, unless that was only for the older ones. cuz i know the old 90's Q45's are called Nissan President's.
i'd rather have my car say president than Q45 btw

To OP: you explained it pretty well, if he didn't get it by what you said, just give up. It's not that important of a thing for him to know

 

Here's a Q45:


And here's the President:



Anyways, my friend and I were installing sway bars on my car and this couple (probably in their 50's) standing about 30ft away were talking to each other about my car:

Wife: What is that?
Husband: I think it says Infiniti in the back.
Wife: But isn't that a Honda badge?
Husband: Hmm I don't know, let's get closer.

Husband: Hi, what is this?
Me: Oh, it's actually a TL.
Husband: Oh? But why does it say Honda? Oh, Inspire, that's a nice name.
Me: Thanks, well in Japan, this car is called the Honda Inspire.
Husband: Oh I see, very beautiful car! (to his wife: he said this is a TL)

And then I moved on and talked about his RDX.

 

The Q45 is the Cima, and there is a model of Cima called President. A differentiation meant only to appease the old Oyaji (the old japanese establishment, think politicians and the like). They would be chauffeur driven in them. While the Cima, old people who wanted a big car could drive them.

Hell, this place has variants of variants. It's tough to keep up.

 

you don't bother explaining it.

nor do you bother putting Honda badges on an Acura, Nissan on Infinity or w/e.

this whole JDM thing is the new rice.

 

Naw, its relatively subtle and tame. Pin/skunk stripes was the real old-school rice and this is the new rice :

 

I just saw a Infiniti Skyline 350GT GTR... wtf?? Some of these G35 guys...

 

You should have asked him, "If I take all the badges off the car, does it mean it doesn't have a name either?"

or

Assume his name is Eric... you should have told him "Take your name for example, your parents named you Eric... everyone calls you Eric, but I call you Stupid."

 

There's some interesting points brought up in this thread.

I was told several years ago that the Japanese companies started using luxury brands to help compete with Cadillac and Lincoln. The Honda's/Toyota's/Nissan's were picking up market share throughout the 80's and needed luxury brands to enter that demographic.

It made sense to me since Cadillac and Lincoln buyers probably wouldn't switch to a Toyota, no matter how many features rivaled their domestic counterparts.

That was the only theory I had known. It's good to hear some other ones.

 

fixed

 

Rice? LOL.

 

nope, either you know about it or you dont.

 

I think it's ok for the car to do the JDM thing in the US. I mean, the car was probably sold first in Japan before going to the US, so doing that is not bad if done right.

And there was never a GT-R on the G35 platform. The current GT-R is a new design, new frame, new everything.

I see guys here do the opposite, they take their Toyota Windom, and plaster Lexus crap all over them to make them USDM. Their cars are 10 plus years old, cloth interior, and look like but they do it anyway. The Aristo is another one, and people actually list them as a Lexus when they try to sell them.

 

It's very simple. Japanese auto makers were known for making cheap economy cars in the 80's and 90's. The Honda Civic, Accord and all the Datsuns and Nissans were tiny little vehicles until fairly recently. Acura was created in order to shed the non-luxury stigma associated with Honda. Lexus and Infiniti served the same purposes a few years later.

Relabeling a car to it's JDM designation celebrates the car's true heritage and rebukes American elitism. I would do it if only it weren't such a poor use of time, energy and money.

Since the economy was on the up and up overall for so long the tiny cars had went out of style and now Japanese cars sold USDM are as large and heavy as everything else. Part of the reason Acura doesn't seem so luxurious is because Honda labled products are so much nicer than they used to be. The Odyssey went from a silly little utility car to the luxury liner it is today, the Honda Accord went from a sub compact to a full size in a little over 10 years, all the while Acura has barely kept up with it's rivals.

 

you take that back! You take it back right now!

 

lol this is one amusing thread.

 

That's very, very funny

But its really just another variant of primitive tribal behavior. Young males need to display their superiority and stand out from the pack. This behavior is needed to aquire the best breeding mates and access to resources.

You're right, I'll retract my statement and submit a revision.

Replace: "...this is the new rice"
With: "... this is the new rice channelling Liberace's glitter eye liner".

 

Rice comes off really snobby sometimes, like when referencing Audi LED's. That is not rice. My god what used to be considered rice and what is now, has changed by thousands to tens of thousands of dollars. Rice to me is mods that aren't done correctly. Stock TL with Honda emblems=rice, Modded TL done properly with Honda emblems=not rice. Than again, you'll still have some guys just say your car is rice because it's a honda period. You cannot win them all. Luckily I've never been accused of rice, until I do those LED's

 

It really is that simple.

 

 

I do believe we have a /thread.

re: rice

I agree with Myxomatosis.

 

 

Next thread!