Hi there,
We're doing exactly this (importing our 2016 Model S 90D) in a couple months.
The first thing you want to do is find a Japanese import agent. We're going with these guys since they give you a detailed breakdown of the estimated costs:
COMPANY PROFILE / Marshal Cars -auto trading service-
The import agent handles everything from exporting the car from the US, shipping it, importing it into Japan, taking it through customs and inspections, even registering and getting a license plate for the car, then finally delivering it to your final destination (wherever you are staying/living in Tokyo). Including all this, the estimate came out to about 12k USD (1,300,000JPY)
They just need the VIN in order to create the estimated cost report for you. One thing I'll say is that we asked for an estimate for our Model S and X initially. But because of some (weird) regulations in Japan, our Model X can't be imported (There's a limit on how many Model X's of a certain year that can be in Japan..ours was manufactured in Oct 2016 so it's not allowed, but it would have been ok if it was manufactured before June 2016. Go figure..)
A couple of things to note:
- I asked Tesla USA, but once you export your Tesla out of the US, it becomes a grey market car, meaning they no longer support apps or updates. I assumed we'd be able to get updates via wifi, but the service rep said no. I'm hoping they are wrong ..
- He did mention that Tesla Japan would service your car, given that you pay for all parts (even those that should be covered under warranty).
- Unless you can figure out a way to replace the SIM card (located in a steel cage behind the center console screen) there is definitely no way the GPS or the Tesla app would work. We use waze and other nav apps on our smartphones anyway, so this won't be too big of a deal. It'll be a bummer not being able to remotely control the climate or the lock, but it'll still be the same car to drive.
- Even though you won't get support or connectivity while you're in Japan, once you bring the car back into the US everything will be back to normal.
- Regarding parts that need to be replaced. The standard procedure for American cars entering Japan is to have the tail lights replaced (they use orange instead of red LEDs for turn signals). This is included in the estimated cost for this particular import agent. But there are also side-lights (turn signals on either the side of the car) that need to be installed. The official Tesla sidelights are roughly 1k USD apiece.
The other option you may want to consider, depending on how long you'll be in Tokyo, is to utilize Carnet:
JAF ｜Show Your Card and SaveR Program in Japan
Hope that helps.
