How to find out the country of car manufacturer by VIN

It is possible to obtain information about a car that has already been purchased or is being considered before purchasing. To do this, you must have originals or copies of:

• Certificates of registration of ownership of the car;
• Technical passport of the vehicle;
• Directly the car itself.

Procedure for initializing a car using the VIN code

You can find out the VIN code of a specific car from the Certificate of Ownership or the corresponding column of the Technical Passport, duplicated by the column “Body No.” Using a seventeen-digit number consisting of numbers and letters, you can read information about the equipment in full, and also use it when searching for original spare parts.

It is easier to decipher the encoding by dividing it according to world standards into 3 components: WMI, VDS, VIS. They contain important data. The first 3 characters on the left identify the manufacturer. In the first place is a figure enclosing the geographical area; on the second - the sign of the country from this zone; on the third - a specific manufacturer.

Section 1

In more detail, when identifying the country of origin, it is worth using the following data (according to the first symbol, the goods belong to the countries):

• 1, 4, 5 – USA
• 2 – Canada
• 3 – Mexico
• 9 – Brazil
• J - Japan
• K – Korea
• Y - Sweden
• S – England
• V - Spain
• W – Germany
• Z – Italy

Section two

The second symbol hides the brand name:

• 1 – Chevrolet;
• 2 & 5 – Pontiac;
• 3 – Oldsmobile;
• 4 – Buick;
• 6 – Cadillac;
• 7 – GM Canada;
• 8 – Saturn.

• A – Audi, Jaguar, Land Rover;
• B – BMW;
• U - BMW (USA);
• B – Dodge;
• D – Dodge;
• C – Chrysler;
• D - Mercedes Benz;
• J - Mercedes Benz (USA), Jeep;
• F – Ford, Ferrari, Fiat, Subaru;
• G - General Motors;
• H – Honda, Acura;
• L – Lincoln;
• M – Mercury, Mitsubishi, Skoda, Hyundai;
• A - Mitsubishi (USA);
• N – Nissan, Infiniti;
• O – Opel;
• P - Plymouth;
• S – Isuzu, Suzuki;
• T – Toyota, Lexus;
• V-Volvo, Volkswagen.

By the third printed sign it will not be difficult to recognize the type of machine. Behind the 2nd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th characters is a description.

If the lot includes up to five hundred copies of a car, then the number 9 should be in third place. The second section of the VIN number, encrypted with six numbers and letters, contains a description of the properties of the vehicle. Under all of the above, except for the second (in order), there is information about the body type, engine type, model, series. In the 9th place there is a check digit, which is fundamental to the correctness of the code itself. However, it can only be found on graduates of America and China. Other producing countries, including Russia, do not use this symbol.

Section three

Further, from the 10th to the 17th characters in the license plate under investigation, the manufacturer indicates the distinctive characteristics of the car. For the tenth character, the year of manufacture of a particular model matters and is indicated by both numbers and letters. According to the following data (symbol – year of manufacture):

• A – 1980;
• B – 1981;
• C – 1982;
• D – 1983;
• E – 1984;
• F – 1985;
• G – 1986;
• H – 1987;
• J – 1988;
• K – 1989;
• L – 1990;
• M – 1991;
• N – 1992;
• P – 1993;
• R – 1994;
• S – 1995;
• T – 1996;
• V – 1997;
• W – 1998;
• X – 1999;
• Y – 2000.
• 1 – 2001;
• 2 – 2002;
• 3 – 2003;
• 4 – 2004;
• 5 – 2005;
• 6 – 2006;
• 7 – 2007;
• 8 – 2008;
• 9 – 2009.

In the eleventh place the coding of the plant that assembled the vehicle is indicated. The remaining positions in the VIN number are used to indicate the order of the vehicle on the assembly line during the assembly process.

Recommendations for determining the car manufacturer

Vehicle identification number - VIN code, like a fingerprint, is always with the car. If the technical vehicle passport (PTS) can be destroyed or lost, then the VIN code is given to the car at the time of its creation and does not change throughout the entire life of the vehicle. It serves both the owner himself when searching for spare parts, and the police and traffic police officers when identifying stolen cars.

For beginners, it will be interesting to know that the VIN code is stamped on the front left pillar of the body, or the left side of the dashboard so that it can be recognized from the outside through the windshield. For accuracy, the manufacturer indicates where the treasured information is located in the PTS.

VIN code to help car enthusiasts before purchasing a vehicle

Before buying a car, you need to check the encoding for any broken characters. Instead of 3 there may be 8, and instead of 5 - 6. In no case can the symbols I, O, Q appear in the readable license plate of the car under study, because they are similar to 1 and 0.

For models of automobile brands Ford, Kia, Hyundai, created in Russian factories, the first symbol is X. Do not be alarmed if, during the selection of spare parts, the program used did not recognize a specific unit. The exact number corresponding to a world-class car is located on the body, and not in the documents.

Thus, using the information received, the car enthusiast will be able to fully learn everything about a particular vehicle. The geography of production, year of manufacture, type and much more will be revealed to him. The main thing is to strictly follow the instructions outlined earlier.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCHPWHflMEQ

First section

The first section includes information about the manufacturer - WMI - Worldwide Manufacturer Identifier. It includes only three characters that “speak” about who assembled the car, the geography, and also the country where it is located. If no more than 500 units of cars are produced per year, then the designation “9” is displayed in place of the third sign. Considering the peculiarities of WMI formation, the car plant does not establish this combination in any way - everything is under the control of the International Agency.

• So, the first symbol “tells” about the country of production: X – CIS; J - Japan; W – Germany; 3 – Mexico; S - England, etc.

• The second sign shows the company that produced the car: 1 – Chevrolet; A - Audi, Jaguar, Land Rover; H – Honda; T - Toyota, Lexus, etc.

• The third character in the section will explain the vehicle body type, i.e. will designate it as a car, truck, etc.

How to find out where a car was assembled

When a car enthusiast buys a used car, he has incomplete information about it. It is difficult to obtain information about the vehicle being purchased from an old owner of a used car, especially after purchase. Many car enthusiasts are interested, first of all, in the country of origin of their foreign car. In this article we will tell you how to find out where the car you purchased as your property was assembled.

Checking the car's country of origin by VIN code

The easiest way to check in which country your car was assembled is to look at its VIN code, which is indicated on special plates indicating the car assembly plant. Such information plates are usually located in the engine compartment and in the driver's door opening. On modern cars, manufacturers have begun to indicate the VIN code in the lower left corner under the windshield on a plastic panel.

Decoding the VIN code of a car

A modern car VIN code consists of seventeen characters. These symbols will mean nothing to an inexperienced car buyer. Nevertheless, all seventeen symbols are divided into three components:

- world index of the automobile manufacturer WMI (World Manufacturers Identification) - the first three characters;

- descriptive part - VDS (Vehicle Description Section) - from the 4th to the 9th characters;

— — descriptive part — VIS (Vehicle Identification Section) — the rest of the symbols.

We are interested in the first part of the symbols - the first three symbols, which are called World Manufacturers Identification or the world index of the automobile manufacturer. Moreover, the first character is the geographical area, the second character is the country of the manufacturer, and the third character is the manufacturer code.

Car manufacturer country codes

The table below shows the classification of all manufacturing countries according to the codes assigned to them.

[su_youtube url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RiBAJ60NMdQ”]

Structure and decoding

The VIN number contains a 17-character alphanumeric code, which is divided into three main parts:

• The WM code (3, sometimes 4 characters) is the international identification of the manufacturer;
• The VDS code (exactly 6 characters) is a descriptive part;
• The VIS code (8 characters or less) is the index part.

WMI Code

WMI (World Manufacturers Identification) code is the so-called. world index. It occupies the first 3 (sometimes 4) alphanumeric characters, which can be both letters and numbers.

In the first place is a symbol indicating the planetary zone of car production. There are only six such zones:

1. Europe (S–Z);
2. Asia (J–R);
3. Africa (A – H);
4. North America (1 – 5);
5. South America (8 – 9 and 0);
6. Oceania (6 – 7).

According to this classification, Russia belongs to the European zone.

In second place there are one or two characters that determine the country of manufacture of the car in relation to its geographical area. But here you need to understand that the country is identified not just by the second symbol, but by its combined alphanumeric combination with the first symbol.

In the third or fourth place is a symbol identifying the manufacturer.

The symbols of the geographical area and country are set in SAE, and the production identifier is set by the national organization of the country of manufacture (for Russia this is NAMI).

Link to a table in which you can see examples of such identifiers for the Russian Federation - there are quite a lot of them (more than two hundred).

VDS code

VDS (Vehicle Description Section) code is the so-called. a descriptive part that takes up 6 alphanumeric characters.

Symbols from 4 to 8 (in total) determine various technical parameters of the car. Among others, this may include the following data:

• Machine model and its modification;
• Model – 4th and 5th symbol;
• Wheelbase type – 6th character;
• Body type – 7th character;
• Unit type – 8th character;
• Transmission type – 9th character.

You also need to keep in mind that the last (9th overall) symbol is also a check digit, with the help of which, through calculations using a special formula, you can control the reliability of all other symbols since they are all tied to this check digit number.

Code VIS

The VIS code is the so-called. index part and it consists of 8 (or less than 8) alphanumeric characters.

Here are the identifiers:

• Model year – 10th place overall;
• Production and assembly site – 11th place;
• Vehicle serial number – all other characters up to the 17th inclusive.

There is one nuance associated with this block: the last 4 characters always have only a numeric and not an alphabetic designation.

Well, now you are familiar with the general structure of the VIN number and will no longer get confused in it.

How to find out the country of the car manufacturer by VIN - DRIVE2

Procedure for initializing a car using the VIN code

You can find out the VIN code of a specific car from the Certificate of Ownership or the corresponding column of the Technical Passport, duplicated by the column “Body No.” Using a seventeen-digit number consisting of numbers and letters, you can read information about the equipment in full, and also use it when searching for original spare parts.

It is easier to decipher the encoding by dividing it according to world standards into 3 components: WMI, VDS, VIS. They contain important data. The first 3 characters on the left identify the manufacturer. In the first place is a figure enclosing the geographical area; on the second - the sign of the country from this zone; on the third - a specific manufacturer.

Section 1

In more detail, when identifying the country of origin, it is worth using the following data (according to the first symbol, the goods belong to the countries):

1, 4, 5 – USA2 – Canada3 – Mexico9 – BrazilJ – JapanK – KoreaY – SwedenS – EnglandV – SpainW – GermanyZ – Italy

Section two

The second symbol hides the brand name:

1 – Chevrolet;2 & 5 – Pontiac;3 – Oldsmobile;4 – Buick;6 – Cadillac;7 – GM Canada;8 – Saturn.A – Audi, Jaguar, Land Rover;B – BMW;U – BMW (USA) ;B – Dodge;D – Dodge;C – Chrysler;D – Mercedes Benz;J – Mercedes Benz (USA), Jeep;F – Ford, Ferrari, Fiat, Subaru;G – General Motors;H – Honda, Acura;L – Lincoln;M – Mercury, Mitsubishi, Skoda, Hyundai;A – Mitsubishi (USA);N – Nissan, Infiniti;O – Opel;P – Plymouth;S – Isuzu, Suzuki;T – Toyota, Lexus;V- Volvo, Volkswagen.

By the third printed sign it will not be difficult to recognize the type of machine. Behind the 2nd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th characters is a description.

If the lot includes up to five hundred copies of a car, then the number 9 should be in third place. The second section of the VIN number, encrypted with six numbers and letters, contains a description of the properties of the vehicle. Under all of the above, except for the second (in order), there is information about the body type, engine type, model, series. In the 9th place there is a check digit, which is fundamental to the correctness of the code itself. However, it can only be found on graduates of America and China. Other producing countries, including Russia, do not use this symbol. Section three

Further, from the 10th to the 17th characters in the license plate under investigation, the manufacturer indicates the distinctive characteristics of the car. For the tenth character, the year of manufacture of a particular model matters and is indicated by both numbers and letters. According to the following data (symbol – year of manufacture):

A – 1980;B – 1981;C – 1982;D – 1983;E – 1984;F – 1985;G – 1986;H – 1987;J – 1988;K – 1989;L – 1990;M – 1991;N – 1992;P – 1993;R – 1994;S – 1995;T – 1996;V – 1997;W – 1998;X – 1999;Y – 2000.1 – 2001;2 – 2002;3 – 2003;4 – 2004;5 – 2005;6 – 2006;7 – 2007;8 – 2008;9 – 2009.

In the eleventh place the coding of the plant that assembled the vehicle is indicated. The remaining positions in the VIN number are used to indicate the order of the vehicle on the assembly line during the assembly process.

Recommendations for determining the car manufacturer

Vehicle identification number - VIN code, like a fingerprint, is always with the car. If the technical vehicle passport (PTS) can be destroyed or lost, then the VIN code is given to the car at the time of its creation and does not change throughout the entire life of the vehicle. It serves both the owner himself when searching for spare parts, and the police and traffic police officers when identifying stolen cars.

For beginners, it will be interesting to know that the VIN code is stamped on the front left pillar of the body, or the left side of the dashboard so that it can be recognized from the outside through the windshield. For accuracy, the manufacturer indicates where the treasured information is located in the PTS.

VIN code to help car enthusiasts before purchasing a vehicle

Before buying a car, you need to check the encoding for any broken characters. Instead of 3 there may be 8, and instead of 5 - 6. In no case can the symbols I, O, Q appear in the readable license plate of the car under study, because they are similar to 1 and 0.

For models of automobile brands Ford, Kia, Hyundai, created in Russian factories, the first symbol is X. Do not be alarmed if, during the selection of spare parts, the program used did not recognize a specific unit. The exact number corresponding to a world-class car is located on the body, and not in the documents.

Thus, using the information received, the car enthusiast will be able to fully learn everything about a particular vehicle. The geography of production, year of manufacture, type and much more will be revealed to him. The main thing is to strictly follow the instructions outlined earlier.

Find out the country of manufacture by VIN code

Some sellers of used cars often embellish the existing reality in order to inflate their real value. For example, when buying an old Toyota, you may hear from its owner that it is a real “Japanese”, so it will last for decades.

But is this really so? Take my word for it? No - the information must be verified. After all, today you can easily and quickly find out the country of manufacture by VIN code.

How can you find out the country of manufacture using the VIN?

VIN code is a unique identification number of a vehicle (VV), consisting of 17 characters and 3 parts (WMI, VDS and VIS). Information about the country of manufacture is contained in the first part - World Manufacturers Identification.

WMI consists of 3 characters:

• The first is the country of origin. For example, Japan (J), Germany (W), USA (1, 4, 5), etc.
• The second is an automobile concern. For example, Mercedes Benz (D), BMW (B), Nissan and Infiniti (N), etc.
• The third is the type of vehicle.

There are often situations when the VIN code of car brands such as Hyundai, Ford, Kia and many others, copied from the registration certificate, is not recognized. This happens because the first character is X, which identifies the fact that the vehicle was produced at Russian enterprises. In such cases, the identification number corresponding to the world category can be found on the body.

There is another way to find out the country of the car’s manufacturer by VIN code - look it up online on the AutoHistory website. In this case, in addition to general information, you will receive a report with a complete operating history of the vehicle, which will allow you to avoid buying a car with hidden problems.

How to check through the online service "AutoHistory"?

Everything is extremely simple - from any device with Internet access, you need to enter the car’s VIN code into a special form on the website page and click on the “Check” button. The verification procedure takes a few minutes and the cost of the service is affordable to all categories of the population.

As a result, you receive a full report in which information about the country of manufacture will be indicated in the “Options” item:

If the country of assembly is not Russia (as in the example presented above), then the report additionally reflects customs data:

Use the "AutoHistory" service - protect yourself from scammers and the purchase of a problematic vehicle!

Online store to help us

But don't worry, it's not that bad! Today, there are several large online stores that engage in the wholesale and retail supply of spare parts for almost all cars and trucks of foreign and domestic production. On the websites of these stores you can go through a simple registration and, having gained access, order various spare parts. In addition, there you will find electronic versions of the above-described automobile catalogs. By the way, these catalogs have already been translated into Russian. Therefore, it has become easier to find out the car’s equipment.

Let's look at car catalogs in two such stores: exist.ru and emex.ru.

Go to the main page of exist.ru with me right now and, after logging in, in the upper left corner, click on the “Catalogs” tab. If you are not registered, please complete the registration procedure. Next, select “Original catalogs” and click on the make of your car. On the page that opens, in the “Enter VIN” field, you enter the VIN code of your car. And he, so to speak, reveals his insides to you. How simple!

On emex.ru. all the same. Only from the main page you will need to go to the “VIN number” tab and enter your VIN in the search field.

That seems to be all! Now you can easily find out the most complete information about your car without outside help and without purchasing expensive programs. This is especially true, for example, when buying a new car, when you want to learn as much as possible about the car. So try working with catalogs, if you have questions, ask. Goodbye, and see you again on the pages of my blog.

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Country of manufacture by vehicle VIN code

Many global automakers locate their production facilities in different countries - for example, Toyota factories are located in Japan, the USA, Thailand, Canada, Indonesia and Russia. The quality of assembly often depends on the company - so the question of where a car is manufactured is quite relevant for car owners.

At the same time, car sellers do not always provide such information; it is even more difficult to obtain it when buying a car second-hand. You can find out where the vehicle was released if you have a customs declaration - although this document does not always indicate such information. The easiest way to determine the country of manufacture is by the VIN code of the car.

Using VIN to determine country

VINs are unique to each individual vehicle, much like people's fingerprints. Unlike all other vehicle documents, the code is issued once and does not change during the entire operational period.

Using the VIN, the car owner can determine the compatibility of spare parts, and the police and traffic police can identify stolen cars.

Drivers who have not previously encountered a VIN code should know that it is applied to the front left pillar of the body and the dashboard - so that it can be seen through the front window. Other places where the ID may be located include the driver's door, the inside of the hood, the insulating bulkhead, the steering column, the radiator bracket and the left fender well. Sometimes the location of the identifier is indicated in the vehicle title. Once the number is detected, you can use it to try to determine the country in which the car was manufactured.

Search stages

When starting to determine the country by the VIN code of a car, you should pay attention to the first character in a combination of 17 digits. With its help, the continent where the vehicle was produced is determined:

• the letters A to H represent Africa;
• from J to R (except for the letter O, which cannot begin with the VIN) – Asia, including the Middle East;
• from S to Z – Europe. Ford, Hyundai and Kia cars assembled in the Russian Federation are designated by the first letter X;
• numbers from 1 to 5 – North America;
• 6 and 7 – the Australian continent or New Zealand belonging to the same region;
• 8 and 9 – South America.

The second number or letter allows you to specify a specific country. For example, the combinations AA–AH indicate that the car was produced in South Africa. This could be a Volkswagen manufactured in South Africa or a car of another brand whose factories are located here.

• The character set from LA to L0 speaks of China,
• 1A-10, 4A-40 and 5A-50 - about production facilities in the USA.

The third number indicates the specific model. For example, 1 is for a Chevrolet, B and U are for a BMW, O is for an Opel, and V is for a Volvo. Considering that it is not easy to remember all these combinations, you can obtain data on the intended place of release from the corresponding tables or using special Internet resources.

Possible problems with definition

There are many sites for obtaining data by VIN code, and the probability of determining the country is quite high - but sometimes problems arise with decoding. The codes may be non-standard on cars that were manufactured before the 1980s. You can use them to obtain information about a vehicle by using paid services such as VinAudit or CARFAX.

Another problem that a potential car buyer may have is a VIN that does not match the vehicle. This can be detected by a plate with a code, noticeably different from neighboring areas. This VIN is unlikely to help obtain information about the car - however, you should not purchase a car with such a problem.

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Determining the assembly of a car by VIN code: what are the subtleties?

Using the VIN code of a vehicle, you can determine almost all characteristics. This vehicle identification number is a 17-digit universal combination consisting of letters and numbers. Each specific position carries certain information about:

• Vehicle;
• Place and time of assembly;
• Body type;
• Installed engine;
• Model number.

To determine where exactly the machine was assembled, you must have an uninterrupted Internet connection. With its help, you can accurately find out all the necessary history about the car you are interested in.

How to decipher the VIN code?

The vehicle identification code consists of three parts, each of which carries certain information about the vehicle. All of them have certain code names, which look like this:

• WMI (first three characters);
• VDI (second five characters);
• VIS(last seven characters).

It is generally accepted that the first three digits of the VIN code are directly responsible for the index of the manufacturer. The first of them determines the geographical area of ​​the manufacturer, the second - the country of origin and the third - the name of the company. The next five characters carry an information load and provide the vehicle owner with information about the body, engine, series and model number. These values ​​are individual for a specific car model. The last seven digits are the distinguishing feature of the code. They determine the correctness of the entire VIN code.

Why is decryption necessary?

First of all, potential car buyers need car decoding. It makes it possible to check the seller of the vehicle for the veracity of the information provided. Unfortunately, today almost all sellers are silent about some information. Quite often the year of manufacture and technical characteristics of the car are hidden from the buyer.

Where is the VIN code located: how to find it?

The location of the car code directly depends on the country of the manufacturer. Each manufacturing country prefers a specific location. Cars manufactured in the USA have a VIN code mainly in the following places:

1. Under the windshield;
2. On the body;
3. On the iron plate under the hood (on the driver's door or on the driver's door side pillar).

In exceptional cases, an iron plate may be placed directly inside the dashboard.

The country of manufacture is indicated in the code in the first character of the VIN code. Among the many options, the most common are:

• USA (1;4;5);
• Japan (J);
• England (S);
• Germany (W);
• France (V).

What is a check digit and why is it needed?

Many automakers use the ninth digit in the VIN code as a control digit. This value is considered the authenticity identifier of the entire code. It is calculated using a certain mathematical algorithm. To check whether the VIN code is the real owner of the car, you must do the following:

• Multiply all numbers (except 9 control);
• Divide the result by 11.

As a result of the mathematical operations performed, the final value must coincide with the number located in 9th place. If these two values ​​coincide, then the VIN is most likely real.

Watch the video on how to determine the equipment by VIN code:

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Published: November 08, 2017