When you think of American trucks, you probably think of the mainstays: Ford, Chevy and Ram. Most people assume that if they buy a pickup truck from one of these companies, they’re buying American made vehicles. Yet in our increasingly globalized world, car manufacturers are saving money by outsourcing some of their production. Because of this, a Ram pickup is actually one of the least American made vehicles out there.

Most car shoppers care about where their car comes from

Buying cars made in America has long been a selling point for car shoppers. In fact, Cars.com did a survey which found that 72% of new-car shoppers take into consideration where the car they’re buying comes from. Even though shoppers want to buy cars made in America, they don’t always really know where the vehicles they’re looking at come from.

And yet that’s not always the case. Today, more and more car manufacturers are using parts made in countries other than the U.S. Labor can also come from outside the U.S. To make matters even more complicated, many car shoppers don’t know what country some pretty major car brands come from. 

How did Cars.com rank cars?

In order to rank the most “American” cars, Cars.com collected information about all of the vehicles, like where their parts came from. To be more specific, Cars.com used the Monroney label, which states how many parts come from the U.S. and Canada. (The Monroney labels include the U.S. and Canada together, so it’s hard to separate the two in the Cars.com list.)

Other information Cars.com used includes U.S. factory employment, as well as where engines and transmissions come from. Cars.com didn’t include vehicles with small production numbers, fleet-only vehicles, and vehicles in their last year of production. 

The Ram 1500 Classic is one of the least American-made vehicles

Not only is the 2021 Ram 1500 Classic one of the least American-made vehicles, but it’s the least American-made pickup truck. The Ram 1500 Classic is made at both the Stellantis Warren Truck Assembly, and the Saltillo plant in Saltillo, Mexico. It’s the older version of the Ram 1500, which is built at the Sterling Heights Assembly Plant, and is number 42 on the Cars.com list.

Right now pickup trucks, and cars in general are hard to come by, thanks to a microchip shortage. The Ram 1500 Classic is affected by this, as are all Ram trucks. Stellantis, which owns Ram, isn’t shipping Ram 1500 Classics until the microchips become available, which means that even less trucks are making it into circulation. 

If buying a pickup truck made primarily in America is one of your priorities, perhaps the 2021 Ram 1500 Classic isn’t the right truck for you. Perhaps you’d prefer a Honda Ridgeline, which is the most American-made pickup truck, and number six overall on the list of American-made vehicles.