What is a Grey Import?

Caption : Woah, a Lexus RX330 with aftermarket JAOS gront grill, 18' sports rims and TRD bodykits? Wicked!

What is a Grey Import? – A grey import is a vehicle made by Japanese manufacturers for the Japanese domestic market that is then imported into Malaysia for the used car market.

Caption : Sunroof and Panaromic roofs were options offered.

Caption : Toyota Harrier comes in 240G, 300G, 350G and AIRS guises.

Caption : Plenty of wood trim in the interior.

 Why do they come to Malaysia? – Japanese car owners typically keep their vehicles for three years before trading them in and buying a new one. This creates an excess of ‘second hand’ cars in the Japanese market for which there is little demand. Japanese import cars are usually right hand drive and tend to have a lower average mileage and higher standard specification than their Malaysian equivalents. Customer demand in Japan also results in a wider variety of models being made by manufacturers for their home market. Performance cars, people carriers and 4x4 vehicles from the Japanese domestic market have all proved popular with the Malaysian public.

Caption : Standard multi-function steering wheel.

Caption : Additional double-din Japanese TFT display.

Caption : Aftermarket double-DIN DVD players- you'd need the lower audio bracket retailing at app RM500 for any such players.

Caption : Same lower audio bracket, but with aftermarket double DIN screen.

Caption : Half-walnut multi-function steering wheel.

How do they get here? – Almost all cars in Japan are sold at auction. Unlike Malaysian vehicle auctions, Japanese ones are ‘closed’ to the public. Specialist AP-holdng companies in Malaysia have made it their business to bid for the vehicles available and ship them to Malaysia. The cars are usually exported to other right hand drive markets such as UK, Ireland, Australia, Singapore, Indonesia, New Zealand, Malta and Cyprus.