Fastest way to import data over time found to be csv format data
mysql> load data local infile 'Desktop/data.csv'
-> INTO TABLE cars
-> FIELDS TERMINATED BY ','
-> ENCLOSED BY '"'
-> LINES TERMINATED BY '\n'
-> IGNORE 1 ROWS;
Query OK, 232880 rows affected, 65535 warnings (27.87 sec)
Records: 232880 Deleted: 0 Skipped: 0 Warnings: 232880