Fifteen years moving cars
across every ocean.
We started with a single desk at the USS Tokyo auction floor and one buyer in Nairobi. Today we run six source markets, thirty-plus shipping lanes and a marketplace that quietly exports a vehicle every eleven minutes.
We built the exporter we always wished we could hire.
Kenji Watanabe founded Car District Global in 2010 after fifteen years bidding for overseas dealers on the Japanese auction floor. He had watched too many buyers get blindsided by hidden port charges, unclear grades and week-long silences after wire transfer. He was convinced there was a better way.
The idea was simple: bring the buyer directly onto the auction floor. Show them every inspection sheet, every fee, every yard photo — and stay on the phone with them until the keys hit the ground at their local port.
Fifteen years and 125,000 vehicles later that principle still runs the business. We are exporters, not intermediaries — we own the yards, we bid the auctions, we book the vessels, and we sign the bills of lading.
Mission
Make exporting a car as clear, fast and predictable as booking a flight — for every buyer in every corner of the world.
Vision
Become the single trusted marketplace for cross-border vehicle trade, connecting every major auction to every emerging market.
Promise
No hidden fees. No mystery grades. No unanswered messages. If we quote it, we ship it — on time and on price.
Four principles, every transaction.
These aren't posters on the wall. They're the tests we apply to every quote, every inspection and every shipment.
Radical transparency
Every listing carries an independent inspection sheet, VIN history and a fully itemised landed-cost quote — no hidden fees at the port.
Truly global
Six source markets, twelve inland yards, thirty-plus shipping lanes. Wherever you are, we get you the right car on the right vessel.
Long-term partners
Dealers, fleet buyers and diplomats stay with us for a decade because we treat each transaction like the first one.
Human-scale service
One dedicated specialist per client from first search to final delivery — no ticket queues, no bots, no handoffs.
From two people to six continents.
- 2010
Founded in Yokohama
Started as a two-person auction bidding desk at USS Tokyo, exporting to Kenya and Tanzania.
- 2013
First Middle East hub
Opened UAE stock yard in Sharjah, adding LHD inventory to the Japan-first catalogue.
- 2016
10,000 vehicles shipped
Crossed the ten-thousand vehicle mark and welcomed our first fleet buyer from Botswana.
- 2019
USA & UK sourcing
Added Los Angeles, Newark and Southampton origin ports for luxury and performance vehicles.
- 2022
Marketplace launch
Rebuilt the platform end-to-end — live inventory, transparent landed-cost calculator, real-time tracking.
- 2025
150 countries served
Expanded into West Africa, Central Asia and the Pacific. Now exporting to 150+ destinations.
The people signing your paperwork.
Six offices, one team. Every regional lead has spent at least a decade in cross-border vehicle trade.
Six hubs, one supply chain.
Registered, audited, insured.
Every unit that leaves our yard travels under recognised trade credentials. Ask us for any document — we send it same day.
- JUMVEA Registered Exporter
- BL/BILL of Lading Certified
- JEVIC & QISJ Inspection Partner
- ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management
- IATA Freight Forwarder
Let's ship your next vehicle.
Browse 125,000+ inspected units or tell us the exact spec you want — we'll come back with a landed-cost quote within 24 hours.