This is purely for my own knowledge because im a curious person lol. But i read on a previous question someone was asking the same question regarding their toyota and the answer someone gave was whether the VIN number began with a "J" then it meant it was made in Japan and if it had a "1" or a "5" it was made in the U.S or Canada. I was just curious whether this is true and if SO then does it apply to my car. Its a 2012 mazda 3 but has the same layout as a 2010 model (not sky active) i dont know if that information makes a difference.