VIN reveals country in which car was manufactured

Q. Does the VIN indicate where a car was manufactured? Are all Toyota Camry Hybrids sold in the U.S. manufactured in the U.S.? Can I tell by the VIN?

A. Indeed, all Camry Hybrids sold in the U.S. are built at Toyota's Georgetown, Ky., plant. Some Camrys are built at a Subaru plant in Lafayette, Ind., and a small number are imported from Japan, but all hybrid versions are assembled in Kentucky.

The 17-character vehicle identification number shows where a vehicle was manufactured. For example, if the first VIN character is 1, 4 or 5, it was built in the U.S.; 2 is Canada, 3 is Mexico, J is Japan and K is Korea. The VIN's 11th character identifies the plant where the vehicle was built, but you have to know the plant codes used by that manufacturer.

You can also find out where and when a vehicle was built by looking on the manufacturer's plate, usually found on the driver's doorjamb. It shows the country and month and year of assembly.

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