Made In America: the Top 10 Most American Cars
A lot of car shoppers consider where the vehicle they’re considering purchasing comes from. Many Americans only look at the most American cars, or the cars they think are the most American. Yet how much do people really know about where their cars are made? And what makes a vehicle American?
Do people care about buying cars made in America?
Cars.com did a survey which found that 72% of new-car shoppers take into consideration where the car they’re buying comes from. Yet a lot of car shoppers think of the top American car names – Ford, Chevy, Dodge – and assume that they must make American cars with American parts.
However, that’s not always the case. Today, more and more car manufacturers are using parts made in different countries. Labor can also come from outside the U.S. To make matters more complicated, many car shoppers don’t really know the country of origin of some pretty big car manufacturers.
In order to rank the most “American” cars, Cars.com compiled some information about all of the vehicles, like where their parts came from. To be more specific, the label states whether the parts come from the U.S. and Canada. It’s important to note that Cars.com gathered this information from the Monroney labels, which includes Canada in its American parts category.
Cars.com also used information about U.S. factory employment, as well as where engines and transmissions come from. It did not include vehicles with small production numbers, fleet-only vehicles, and vehicles in their last year of production. Let’s take a look at the top 10 most American vehicles, measured by their production location.
Tesla Model 3
There’s a lot of talk about Teslas produced in China. Because of this, some people assume that Teslas are only made in China. However, the Tesla Model 3 is made in Fremont, California.
Ford Mustang
The Ford Mustang is the longest continuously produced Ford car. Its first production run being in 1964, and it hasn’t stopped since. Although Mustangs have been made in various locations, it is currently produced in Flat Rock, Michigan.
Tesla Model Y
Like its Model 3 sibling, the Tesla Model Y is also made in Tesla’s Fremont, California factory.
Jeep Cherokee
The Jeep Cherokee was formerly produced in Ohio, but its production now happens in Belvidere, Illinois.
Chevrolet Corvette
Bowling Green Assembly in Bowling Green, Kentucky is the only factory in the world to build Corvettes. The Chevrolet Corvette has been in production there since 1981.
Honda Ridgeline (Lincoln, Ala.)
The Honda Ridgeline has been manufactured in Lincoln, Alabama since 2008.
Honda Odyssey
Although parts for the Honda Odyssey used to come from China and Japan, now the Honda Pilot largely comes from the Lincoln, Alabama plant.
Honda Pilot
The largest SUV from Honda, the Honda Pilot is also manufactured in Lincoln, Alabama.
Honda Passport
Like its Honda brethren, the Passport is also produced in Alabama.
Toyota Tundra
You may be surprised to learn that the Toyota Tundra is the only full-size pickup truck made in the state of Texas.
If buying one of the most American cars is important to you, this list is a great place to start. It’s not a complete list of the most American made cars, though. There are still plenty of great vehicles made in (or mostly in), America.