Vehicle identification number
WMI Country Manufacturer
AAV South Africa Volkswagen
AHT South Africa Toyota
AFA South Africa Ford
BF9 Kenya KIBO Motorcycles
CL9 Tunisia Wallyscar
JA Japan Mitsubishi
JAL Japan Isuzu
JC1 Japan Fiat Automobiles / Mazda
JD Japan Daihatsu Motor Co. Ltd
JF1-JF3 Japan Subaru - Fuji Heavy Industries
JF4 Japan SAAB
JF5 Japan Pontiac
JHD , JHF , JHH Japan Hino
JHL Japan Honda
JHM Japan Honda
JM0 Japan Mazda for Oceania export
JM1 Japan Mazda
JMB Japan Mitsubishi
JM6 Japan Mazda
JN Japan Nissan
List of common WMI
The Society of Automotive Engineers ( SAE ) assigns the WMI ( world manufacturer identifier ) to countries and manufacturers . The following list shows a selection of world manufacturer codes .
A vehicle identification number (VIN) is a unique code, including a serial number, used by the automotive industry to identify individual motor vehicles, towed vehicles, motorcycles, scooters and mopeds, as defined in ISO 3779 (content and structure) and ISO 4030 (location and attachment). VINs were first used in 1954 in the United States. From 1954 to 1981, there was no accepted standard for these numbers, so different manufacturers used different formats. In 1954, at the request of the US government, the US auto manufacturers and the Automobile Manufacturers Association were involved in the creation of the new, standardized vehicle identification numbering system named the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) with an agreed upon digit sequence and concealed chassis markings of this VIN. Up to that time, states used the engine number to register and title cars and trucks which became a problem if the engine was replaced which was fairly common at the time. In 1981, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration of the United States standardized the format. It required all on-road vehicles sold to contain a 17-character VIN, which does not include the letters O (o), I (i), and Q (q) (to avoid confusion with numerals 0, 1, and 9). There are vehicle history services in several countries that help potential car owners use VINs to find vehicles that are defective or have been written off.