For all the talk of “tax cuts” in our national discourse, Americans have nothing on our friends in former Soviet bloc states. These photos from the Ukraine show a novel method of getting around the high tariffs placed on imported used vehicles in many parts of the world.

According to photos, vehicle importers in the Ukraine have taken to cutting vehicles in half and then re-welding them back together once the vehicle has cleared customs. Importers apparently save a substantial amount of money – import taxes on new vehicles can be roughly 43%, but if the vehicle is sawed in half, the pieces can be imported as “spare parts” and the amount paid in taxes is reduced dramatically.

Frankly, the prospect of driving a vehicle that was welded back together is downright frightening. Evidently, some people are willing to take that risk just to save a buck and look good in a BMW at the same time.

[Source: Today I Learned]

The federal government, under the jurisdiction of Homeland Security, started investigating the importation of grey-market Nissan Skylines, tracking down their owners and even seizing the cars.

According to import laws, only a select few R33 Skylines from 1996 to 1998 can be legally brought to U.S. shores. The rest came by an importer that failed to import cars with spectacularly disastrous results; the cars weren’t DOT-certified, failed to meet crash and emissions standards, and the importer went out of business. As a result, the owners are faced with “contraband” cars.

One such owner has two Skylines, both with extensive paperwork and one that was old enough to be exempt from vehicle importation laws. The other, however, was deemed illegal and was to be seized—but when federal agents arrived, the owner had a surprise: “I made it very clear that my intent was to retain ownership for the time being and export the vehicle from the country,” he said on a forum post, “and that I had already made arrangements for a sale to be conducted as well as export of the vehicle.”

With the sale of his illicit Skyline, the owner now seeks to challenge these convoluted import laws, many of which were changed after the owners imported their cars.

The Skyline community will not be taking this lying down, either, and have already reached out to get the Specialty Equipment Manufacturers Association (SEMA) involved. After all, how many people in America own Skylines—a handful? Enough to fill a Nissan Elgrand or two? Let’s hope they aren’t a strong enough threat to national stability that would get the Department of Homeland Security involved in their fight against JDM motoring.

[Sources: Jalopnik, NFSCars]

Officially unveiled as the Mazda MPS at the Geneva Auto Show earlier this month, the U.S.-spec MazdaSpeed3 will make it’s North American debut at the New York Auto Show on April 9th.

We don’t expect much to change from the Euro version, so don’t plan on any more power from the direct-injection 2.3-liter turbo-four. Power is rated at 260ps (256hp) and 280 ft-lbs of torque. Thankfully, the MazdaSpeed3 doesn’t need more power.

This is enough for a 0-62 mph run of 6.1 seconds, so the run to 60 might be able to get under the 6.0-second mark.

The engine does get some advancements though. For starters, emissions are reduced thanks to a new single-nanotechnology catalytic converter. As well, the 2.3-liter engine gets 0.5 liters/100km (0.1 mpg) better fuel economy.

In terms of technological advancements, the MAzdaSpeed3 has plenty of them. For starters the new engine features an advanced boost controller that reduces peaks for a more linear power delivery. The left and right drive shafts have been modified to reduce torque steer. The six-speed manual transmission now has wider ratios than before and the tranny uses a low-viscosity fluid to reduce shift effort.

With the new body and chassis, the 2010 MazdaSpeed3 is naturally better, however, it also gets large stabilizer bars, stiffer springs and shocks. As well, it now features 18-inch wheels with big brakes – 12.6-inches up front and 11-inches in the rear.

We’ll bring you full details in our New york Auto Show coverage starting April 8th.

Full Euro-spec details after the jump:

We are proud to introduce this new line-up of finely crafted cars that offer the exhilaration of driving pleasure and tangible attributes to excite drivers and once again exceed customer expectations. This is an exciting sports compact car that represents the Mazda brand – the all-new Mazda3.

Within the new line-up, we developed the Mazda3 MPS as the flagship model that pushes design and driving performance to the limit. And the Mazda3 with i-stop assumes its role as the environmental strategy car that embodies “Sustainable Zoom-Zoom”.

The new Mazda3 MPS builds on the popularity and recognition of the model it replaces, evolving the experience to an entirely new level of quality and pleasure with its emotional design and exhilarating performance. The “i-stop” differentiates itself from other recent efforts to deliver an environmental strategy car by implementing Mazda’s own environmental technology to achieve best-in-class fuel economy as it aims to greatly exceed the expectations of our customers.

These two models add extra value to the already strong appeal of the new Mazda3 series line-up. The new Mazda3 series takes a significant step ahead in both the realms of driving performance and environmental technology to lead the way toward a new generation of motoring.

New Mazda3 Program Manager

Yoshiyuki Maeda

At a Glance

Exterior

· Design based on the all-new Mazda3 hatchback, evolved for a sportier, more aggressive appearance

· New bonnet air intake to optimise intercooler efficiency

· Front fender and front bumper designs exclusive to the MPS

· The front grille and lower bumper sections share the same black metallic paint finish

· Cylindrical bi-xenon headlamps with boomerang shaped position lamps and round fog lamps (standard or option depending on market)

· Wedge-shaped, curving character lines on the side panels and side under spoiler for a lower-looking centre of gravity

· New, large floating rear spoiler

· LED tail lamps

· New 18-inch aluminium alloy wheels with the same three-dimensional design theme as the Mazda RX-8 wheels

Interior

· Driver-oriented dashboard design gives a roomy, wrap-around, sporty feel

· New tachometer with red MPS logo

· New LED turbo boost gauge between the driver meters

· Semi-bucket front seats with superior fit

· Seat upholstery in black base colour with a red graphic design and red stitching

· Black interior colour with an organic red graphic design throughout the cabin and red stitching for the steering wheel

Powertrain

· Acclaimed MZR 2.3L DISI Turbo petrol producing high power of 191 kW/260 PS at 5,500 rpm, and high torque of 380 Nm at 3,000 rpm

· In-cylinder cooling effect from direct injection realizes ca. 10 percent more torque compared to conventional-intake turbo engines

· Top speed of 250 km/h and acceleration of 0-100 km/h in 6.1 seconds

· Reduced fuel consumption of 0.5 litres per 100 km versus outgoing model

· The world’s first single-nanotechnology catalytic converter helps to reduce the amount of precious metals needed

· Advanced boost pressure control suppresses sudden torque peaks for linear torque development

· Left and right drive shafts optimized to minimize torque steer

· Torque-sensing super limited-slip differential (LSD) standard

· Specially-designed, 6-speed manual transmission with wider gear ratio than before

· Triple-cone synchronizers for first, second and third gears and a double-cone synchronizer for fourth gear for optimised gearshift operation

· Low-viscosity transmission fluid reduces shift effort when the engine is cold

Chassis & Safety

· Special reinforcements inside the front cowl member gussets and a large tunnel member for increased body stiffness

· Modified coil spring rates for MacPherson strut front suspension and multi-link rear suspension

· Larger diameter stabilizers with longer mount spans achieve greater roll linearity

· Special dampers with increased damping strength contribute to higher roll stiffness

· Now three highly rigid steering gear mount bushings instead of two used on the previous model for improved response to steering wheel action

· New wider Dunlop 18-inch tyres with improved grip, more rigid sidewalls and damping strength for more direct steering feel and a stronger one-with-the-car feel

· Electro-hydraulic power assisted steering (EHPAS)

· Large diameter 320 mm ventilated front disc brakes and 280 mm rear solid discs, 8+9 inch tandem brake booster and 1-inch large diameter master cylinder for powerful and stable braking

· Newly-introduced electronic brake assist added to four-wheel ABS and DSC as standard equipment