Contenu
Globalization has made it difficult for someone to determine a products country of origin. In the past, one could assume that a product from an American-based company was built in America; however, this is no longer the case. The same is also true for foreign manufacturers. For example, most Japanese cars were once built in Japan. But Japanese manufacturers now build many of their vehicles in the United States or in other countries. The best way to determine a cars country of origin is to inspect its VIN (vehicle identification number). This number tells you everything you need to know.
Step 1
Find the vehicles VIN. The VIN is ed in several locations. The easiest place to find it is directly beneath the windshield on the drivers side of the vehicle. You can also find the VIN on the drivers-side door jamb. In addition, its ed on the vehicles title or registration.
Step 2
Inspect the first digit in the VIN. This is the only number you need to analyze to determine what country the vehicle was built in.
Step 3
Determine if the number is "1," "4" or "5" to find out if it was made in the United States. Either of these digits represents the United States as the country of origin.
Step 4
Determine if the number is a "2." If so, the car was built in Canada.
Step 5
Determine if the number is a "3." If so, the car was built in Mexico.
Determine if the number is a "J" or "K." If so, the car was built in Asia. "J" stands for Japan, while "K" stands for Korea.
Tip
- There are additional digits that you may encounter, although they are less common. "W" stands for Germany, "S" stands for England, "6" stands for Australia, "9" stands for Brazil, "L" stands for Taiwan, "Z" stands for Italy, "V" stands for France and "Y" stands for Sweden.
