First post here, so please bear with me.

I am a a proud owner of a 2016 Mazda 2 in Dubai and would like to take it with me when I move home to the USA in 2021. The car was built in Thailand to GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) specifications and does not have a US FMVSS or CMVSS sticker.

I reached out to one of the NHTSA Registered Importers and they require a letter from the manufacturer stating that the vehicle conforms to FMVSS standards or provides the main differences between the vehicle and the FMVSS standards. They suggested that I contact the manufacturer.

Does anyone have any experience with importing a Mazda 2 into the US? If so can you please shed some light on how to do it?

Also, does anyone know how to contact Mazda to get a letter with the main differences between the vehicle and the FMVSS standards?

Greatly appreciate your help!

 

I am not an expert and have not done what you are looking to do.

I have read a lot of examples that lead me to believe it will be extremely expensive. There are dozens of little things manufacturers do for each market that would have to be corrected to qualify in the US in addition to the certification process. I would guess it would cost about the value of the car to get it done if not 2 or 3 times that amount. I believe it was Jerry Seinfeld that had to wait 2 years for a Porsche to go through the process.

Many vehicles would never qualify since the parts are not available. That is not true for the Mazda2 since it is sold here as the Toyota Yaris from 2016 to either 2019 or 2020 (with 3 different names).

I would be shocked if Mazda would help with the process but there are a few US importers that would do it. They focus on rare $300,000 cars.

If the car was over 25 years old it would be no problem. There is an exemption for those vehicles but I would still go through a specialty importer.