JDM stands for Japanese Domestic Market, which refers to cars that were built for use in Japan instead of the United States car market. JDM cars are produced in the domestic market of Japan and sold there, or sometimes exported to international markets in their pure form. However, not all cars made in Japan are JDM cars. If a car is manufactured in Japan and exported to the US, Europe, or elsewhere outside Japan, it is not considered a JDM car. JDM cars are made in a way that complies with the rules and regulations of the Japanese market, and they are more fuel-efficient. To qualify as a true JDM, the car should have a Right-Hand Drive (RHD) system. JDM cars have a lot of fans worldwide, thanks to their unique look and style, higher reliability rating, and better performance specs than the ones that are available in the United States.

JDM cars originally represented cars sold primarily in Japan, but the term has come to mean any high-performance Japanese model, where a new or used car sold exclusively in Japan or in multiple global markets, including the U.S. and Canada. The average American’s awareness of JDM cars was minimal before the 1990s, but that started to change in the 1980s, as sporty two-door coupes like the Honda Prelude, Mazda RX-7, Nissan 240SX, and Toyota Supra and Celica joined the Nissan 300ZX in U.S. showrooms. The real pivot toward JDM vehicles came in the 1990s, when magazines like Sport Compact Car and Super Street focused on the growing enthusiasm for Japanese “tuner cars” and the enthusiast culture forming around them.

JDM vehicles may differ greatly from the cars that Japanese manufacturers build for export and vehicles derived from the same platforms built in other countries. The Japanese car owner looks more toward innovation than long-term ownership, which forces Japanese carmakers to refine new technologies and designs first in domestic vehicles.

In summary, JDM cars are Japanese Domestic Market cars that were built for use in Japan and sold there, or sometimes exported to international markets in their pure form. They are made in a way that complies with the rules and regulations of the Japanese market, and they are more fuel-efficient. JDM cars have a lot of fans worldwide, thanks to their unique look and style, higher reliability rating, and better performance specs than the ones that are available in the United States.