The World Manufacturer Identifier (WMI) Directory: Global Country Codes

What Is a World Manufacturer Identifier?

The first three characters of every standardized 17-digit VIN represent the World Manufacturer Identifier (WMI), regulated internationally by SAE International and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO 3780).

The WMI sequence uniquely designates: 1. The continent and sovereign geographic territory of manufacture. 2. The specific automaker corporation. 3. The manufacturing division or vehicle type.

Geographic Continent Code Breakdown (Character 1) - North America: 1, 4, 5 (United States); 2 (Canada); 3 (Mexico) - Europe: S (United Kingdom); W (Germany); V (France, Spain); Z (Italy); Y (Sweden, Finland) - Asia: J (Japan); K (South Korea); L (China); M (India, Thailand) - South America: 8 (Argentina); 9 (Brazil) - Oceania: 6 (Australia); 7 (New Zealand)

Common Automaker WMI Examples - 1FA, 1FB, 1FC: Ford Motor Company (USA) - 1GC, 1GT: General Motors Trucks & Pickups (USA) - 2HG, 2HK: Honda of Canada Manufacturing - 3VW, 3VV: Volkswagen de Mexico - JH4, JHM: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Japan) - WBA, WBS: BMW AG / BMW M GmbH (Germany) - WA1, WAU: Audi AG (Germany) - KM8, KMH: Hyundai Motor Company (South Korea)