| | Re: Car Models & Makes database (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-01) |
 | | << In North America, a system is used that is far more stringent than the ISO Standards but is "backward compatible." Here, the VIN is divided into four sections: The first three characters shall uniquely identify the manufacturer, make and type of vehicle (with the same exception of manufacturers that produce less than 500 vehicles). |
 | | There are indeed examples of manufacturers who have more than one WMI that use the third character as a code for a vehicle category (for instance bus or truck). |
 | | This section is the VDS in ISO 3779 but there it comprises another position of the VIN; The third section consists of one character which is the check digit, calculated over the other 16 characters of the VIN. |
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