Importing cars from Japan involves reading a lot of acronyms. You might find car acronyms:
- On a Japanese car auction sheet.
- On import/export quotes and paperwork.
- In car literature and advertisements.
I’ve put together a list of the acronyms I’ve encountered whilst buying and importing cars from Japan. I knew some of them before I started and you probably will too, but I’ve picked most of them up along the way.
Not all will be relevant to everyone. Some only really apply to performance cars. In any case I hope you find them useful. The table is searchable so you don’t need to trawl through the entire list.
| Acronym | Stands for | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| AAC | Automatic air conditioning | In the UK we’d call this climate control. The car interior is maintained at a set temperature and the car heats or cools to reach this temperature. |
| AAW | Aftermarket alloy wheels | The car has non-standard alloy wheels. |
| ABS | Anti-lock braking system | System to reduce wheels locking up under heavy braking. |
| AC | Air conditioning | Standard air conditioning where the driver adjusts the temperature of the air blower to suit. |
| AT | Automatic transmission | Can be preceeded by a number to indicate the number of gears in the transmission. |
| ATTESA | Advanced total traction engineering system for all-terrain. | Nissan variable four wheel drive system. |
| AW | Alloy wheels | Usually refers to original equipment alloy wheels. |
| AYC | Active yaw control | System developed by Mitsubishi to optimise torque to the rear wheels. |
| BOL | Bill of lading / loading | Document given by a shipping company on receipt of cargo. Details identity of shipper and consignee. |
| BOV | Blow off valve | Relieves pressure in the intake manifold of a turbocharged engine when the throttle is closed. Reduces turbo wear, reduces turbo lag & makes a very satisfying noise. |
| CAT | Column automatic transmission | Automatic transmission where the gear lever is on the steering column. |
| CIF | Cost, insurance and freight | Means of international shipping where the supplier invoice cost covers the cost of the item itself, shipping to the destination and insurance. |
| CVT | Constant velocity transmission. | Gearbox where drive is transmitted between engine and wheels using a metal belt running on pulleys with variable diameter. Similar concept to moped/scooter transmission. |
| DCT | Dual clutch transmission | Odd and even gears are engaged by separate clutches. Results in faster, smoother gear shifts than a standard automatic transmission. |
| EBD | Electronic brakeforce distribution | System to maximise braking and minimise wheel locking by distributing braking force. An addition to ABS, which releases braking pressure to a wheel that has locked. |
| EM | Electric mirrors | |
| ETC | Electronic toll collection | Commonly seen on auction listings. A small black box of electronics commonly fitted on the lower dashboard. Enables electronic collection of tolls without the driver having to stop and pay. |
| EW | Electric windows | |
| F* | Manual transmission | Where * = the number of forward gears. |
| FAT | Floor automatic transmission. | Automatic transmission where the gear lever is floor mounted. |
| FCC (FCD) | Fuel cut controller (fuel cut defencer) | When turbo boost is raised to increase engine performance, the ECU can cut the fuel pressure to prevent damage. This device tells the engine the boost pressure is lower than it actually is, to stop this cut in fuel pressure. |
| FF | Front front | Engine in the front, front wheel drive. |
| FMIC | Front mount intercooler | Refers to the location of the intercooler on a turbocharged car. It is mounted on the front of the car, usually in front of the radiator and as low as possible to take maximum advantage of cooler air. More efficient than a TMIC due to greater airflow. |
| FOB | Freight / free on board | Costs involved in buying a car and getting it on board a boat. Doesn’t just apply to cars. |
| FR | Front rear | Engine in the front, rear wheel drive |
| HICAS | High capacity actively controlled steering | Nissan system of rear wheel steering to improve handling. |
| HID | High intensity discharge | A type of head light bulb, emitting more light and using less power than a standard halogen headlight bulb. |
| IVA | Individual vehicle approval | Test required prior to registration when importing vehicles under 10 years old into the UK. |
| LATCH | Lower anchors and tethers for children | US acronym for the international standard child car safety seat mounting points we call isofix in the UK & Europe. |
| MD | Mini disc | Features on a lot of car stereos in cars made in the early to mid 2000s. Didn’t really take off in the UK: the Betamax of the music world (with compact disc being VHS). |
| MR | Middle rear | Engine in the middle, rear wheel drive |
| MT | Manual transmission | Can be preceeded by a number to indicate the number of gears in the transmission. |
| PAS or PS | Power (assisted) steering | |
| PW | Power windows | |
| SR | Sun roof | |
| STi | Subaru Tecnica International | Motorsport division of Fuji Heavy Industries, the parent company of Subaru. |
| TEMS | Toyota Electronic Modulated Suspension | System fitted to high specification Toyota cars with independent front and rear suspension. The damping force can be adjusted by the driver, or automatically by the car, to suit road and driving conditions. |
| TMIC | Top mount intercooler | Refers to the location of the intercooler (on top of the engine) on a turbocharged car. Look for the bonnet scoop to direct air over it. |
| VTEC | Valve timing electronic control | Honda system using 2 different valve cam profiles to give larger valve opening (and therefore more power) at higher RPM. |
| VVTi | Variable valve timing with intelligence | Toyota system to vary the timing of engine intake valve opening to improve fuel efficiency. |
We are having problems with our 2005 Toyota Alphard hybrid campervan. The dashboard is showing various orange and red lights (VSC in orange, an exclamation mark in a circle and brackets and a car with an exclamation mark down the centre in red. We don’t know what they mean, if it is safe to drive and where we can get the problem fixed. Can you advise or point us to a specialist service garage. We are based in Sussex and it is our only vehicle. Previously we had an orange light which looked like a spaceship but we drove round Europe and it would come on and off. The car drives well. Thanks for your help.
The red exclamation mark is a concern as that indicates a brake fault (unless the parking brake is stuck on). Try searching for a garage that is a member of HEVRA, they should be able to help.