As an anecdote in the 90s and 00s "import" cars usually meant Japanese cars, especially ones not available on the US market. This wasn't really a negative conno

As an anecdote in the 90s and 00s "import" cars usually meant Japanese cars, especially ones not available on the US market. This wasn't really a negative connotation, and there was a whole scene for high performance "import tuners". Just interesting to your point that in context "import" implies a specific country.