“These are the top ten American-made vehicles, according to Cars.com, which ranks them according to how many American-made parts they use and where they’re built.”
http://mon…n&hpt=Sbin
They are:
1. Toyota Camry
2. Honda Accord
3. Ford Escape
4. Ford Focus
5. Chevy Malibu
6. Honda Odyssey
7. Dodge Ram 1500
8. Toyota Tundra
9. Jeep Wrangler
10. Toyota Sienna
Any thoughts?
Interesting list. Back in 1985, I bought a new Ford Tempo. The car was assembled in Canada and the engine was made in Mexico. I now have a Toyota Sienna. I guess it is more American than the Ford Tempo was.
I remember the time period before the mid 1960’s where we regarded anything made in Japan as lower quality than what was produced in the United States. In 1970, I bought a stereo receiver made in this country by the H.H. Scott company. I had problems withthe receiver (incidentally given a high rating by Consumer Reports) and had very poor service from the company. In the late 1970’s I purchased a Sherwood stereo receiver that was made in Korea. It was very well made and I have had no problems.
In the automotive line, we have a 2003 Toyota 4Runner that was manufactured in Japan. It seems to have been very well assembled. We also have a 2011 Toyota Sienna that was assembled in this country. It is just as well assembled. I sold a 2006 Chevrolet Uplander to my son. It was very reliable. The quality of the interior wasn’t up to that of the Toyotas, but it didn’t rattle and everything worked. Maybe we are recovering our quality of manufacturing in the U.S.
Nothing new. Been that way for at least 20 years. WSJ had an article some 20 years about the then new Plymouth Acclaim…the so called Accord killer. More American parts and more American workers were building Accords then Acclaims.
Now if we can only get the high tech manufacturers and the casting and steel industries to build in the U.S.
Good info…I hope it’s meaningful for all those who confuse “American Made vehicle” with plain old brand loyalty. That’s why Toyota builds Lexus, Honda builds Acura and Nissan - Infinity. You have to have those American sounding names for some people to buy your product. They are the same people who buy a Ford Fusion because think it’s “American” and not “foreign” and not because it’s a good car and may be a better buy for them than a Camry or Accord.
“America” includes Canada and Mexico…
Any thoughts? Certainly. Consider also where the money was spent for styling, designing, component engineering, testing, and factory assembly manufacturing engineering for these cars; to US companies or others? Consider too that US factories use US equipment more intensively than imported equipment. To what corporation to the profits go and where do the majority of its stockholders live? The list of vehicles as described is short sighted.
This is understandable as the entire picture is not easy to grasp so the purveyors of such thoughts go with what they have that can be sold as newsworthy.
How could they miss, for example, Cadillac CTS, made in Lansing, MI, designed, engineered, marketed and assembled by US people with the manufacturing of this car prepared by US engineers?
To add to the American theme, please be advised that America includes North and South America.
I often wonder what people from other American countries think about US people who seem to think that they have a monopoly on being American.
…and all of Central and South America.
That’s a relief. The unemployed “American” auto workers will be happy to know their lost jobs are still somewhere in “America”.
Thoughts?
I think this cars.com list is terribly done, every single year.
They insist that a car have at least 75% domestic content, is assembled in the US, and, more important than anything else, have high sales numbers. It does not account for engineering, R&D, and other white collar jobs that may be supported by that vehicle.
If you look at NHTSA’s website for 2010 models, you’ll see that the top vehicles by domestic content are a VERY different list than this:
- Ford Crown Victoria: 90%
- Ford Escape: 90%
- Ford Explorer: 90%
- Ford Focus: 90%
- Ford Ranger: 90%
- Ford Sport Trac: 90%
- Lincoln Town Car: 90%
- Mercury Grand Marquis: 90%
- Mercury Mariner: 90%
- Mazda Tribute: 90%
- Chrysler Sebring sedan: 85%
- Dodge Avenger sedan: 85%
- Mercury Mountaineer: 85%
- Chevrolet Envoy: 85%
- Chevrolet Trailblazer: 85%
- Saab 9-7x: 85%
- Toyota Sienna: 85%
- Chrysler Sebring convertible: 84%
- Dodge Dakota: 84%
- Chrysler Town and Country: 83%
- Dodge Grand Caravan: 83%
- Volkswagen Routan: 83%
- Dodge Nitro: 82%
- Dodge Viper: 82%
- Jeep Liberty: 80%
- Chevrolet Express: 80%
- GMC Savana: 80%
- Toyota Avalon: 80%
- Toyota Tundra: 80%
- Toyota Venza: 80%
- Dodge Caliber: 79%
- Dodge Charger: 79%
- Jeep Patriot: 79%
- Jeep Wrangler 4dr: 79%
- Jeep Wrangler 2dr: 79%
- Jeep Grand Cherokee: 77%
- Cadillac XLR: 77%
- Dodge Ram: 76%
- Jeep Commander: 76%
- Cadillac DTS: 76%
- Honda Accord: 75%
- Honda Odyssey: 75%
- Honda Pilot: 75%
- Chevrolet Impala: 75%
- Chevrolet Malibu: 75%
- Pontiac G6: 75%
- Saturn Aura: 75%
- Toyota Camry: 75%
- Toyota Sequoia: 75%
So the car that tied for 41st place gets ranked #1? Really? Granted, some of those cars above the Camry aren’t assembled in the US… but not all Camrys are, either. And though the Camry has higher sales numbers than most of the vehicles ahead of it, many of the vehicles ahead of it were designed and developed entirely (or mostly) in the US, unlike the Camry.
I’m not saying that buying a Camry is anti-American… it certainly isn’t. But there are plenty of other vehicles that support more US jobs per car sold than does the Camry, though their sales numbers aren’t as high. I EASILY would have ranked the Escape, Explorer, Focus, Ranger, Sport Trac, Mariner, Tribute and several others over the Camry - all those which are built in the US and developed mostly in the US, with higher domestic content than the Camry…
You could even make a strong case for putting vehicles like the Ford Taurus at 65% domestic content above the Camry, since the former had more development work done in the US (fewer blue-collar jobs per vehicle, more white-collar jobs)
““America” includes Canada and Mexico…”
But not on the list Whitey provided. GM’s huge Oshawa, Ontario products are missing. That’s where the Impala and Camaro are built. It will be home to the Regal and they are probably building the first ones now. My 1998 Regal was assembled there and it’s still chugging along just fine.
“That’s a relief. The unemployed “American” auto workers will be happy to know their lost jobs are still somewhere in “America”.”
It’s a global market. If you price yourself out of it, you lose your job. The UAW seems to get it now, but it’s taken a long time. Yes, the UAW played a big part in the loss of automobile manufacturing jobs at the Detroit 3.
I’m surprised the Corvette isn’t on the list.
I often wonder what people from other American countries think about US people who seem to think that they have a monopoly on being American.
They are thinking, “I am not American, I am __________!” (fill in the blank with “Mexican,” “Canadian,” “Columbian,” etc.)
“I’m surprised the Corvette isn’t on the list.”
There probably aren’t enough of them built. It looks like the initial list is based in part on production levels.
“There probably aren’t enough of them built. It looks like the initial list is based in part on production levels.”
Correct.
The list requires 2 things to be considered: 75% or more domestic content and for final assembly to be in the US. 49 different vehicles meet the first criteria. When you eliminate those not built in the US, you’re left with 41 different vehicles.
There is no consideration for engineering or R&D effort, or other white collar jobs supported in the US.
And after reducing that list, sales numbers matter more than anything else.
The Corvette fails to make the list because it uses 70% domestic content, so it doesn’t even hit the 75% minimum.
But the #1 and #2 vehicles on the list, the Camry and Accord, both use the minimum 75% domestic content to qualify, and there were 33 2010 models assembled in the US with higher domestic content than the Camry or Accord.
Based PURELY off of domestic content and requiring the vehicle to be assembled in the US, combining mechanical siblings, ignoring out-of-production models, and still ignoring white-collar jobs, the rank order SHOULD be:
- Ford Escape / Mercury Mariner / Mazda Tribute: 90%
- Ford Explorer : 90%
- Ford Focus : 90%
- Ford Ranger : 90%
- Ford Sport Trac : 90%
- Chrysler Sebring / Dodge Avenger: 85%
- Toyota Sienna: 85%
- Dodge Dakota: 84%
- Dodge Nitro: 82%
- Dodge Viper: 82%
That is a drastically different list, and evidence that sales numbers matter more than just about anything to make the cars.com list.
(note: some vehicles, like the Chevrolet Traverse, MIGHT qualify, but their % domestic content is unavailable at NHTSA).
It’s a global market. If you price yourself out of it, you lose your job. The UAW seems to get it now, but it’s taken a long time. Yes, the UAW played a big part in the loss of automobile manufacturing jobs at the Detroit 3.
They played a role…but NOT a big role…Sorry but you have your facts wrong…Well of 90% of the blame goes right to how it was managed.
Here’s just ONE article on the subject…
It does not account for engineering, R&D, and other white collar jobs that may be supported by that vehicle.
You need a little lesson in business and how businesses are run…Those WHITE-COLOR-JOBS you’re referring are MAINLY jobs like Payroll, Human resources, Sales…If you ELIMINATE those jobs from the list…The op’s list still stands. And that’s the way it is in MOST companies…In my company…we design and build telecommunication equipment…only 10% of the employees are engineers and R&D…and another 10% manufacturing…The other 80% are sales and support plus business support orgs that include (payroll, HR).
As for R&D…Again…wrong…A major chuck of GMs/Ford and Chryco’s R&D is overseas…and more is going there every day. Not to mention organizations like HR and payroll that many many companies are outsourcing to India. Call up GM’s pension plan to ask a question…Let me know what country the person you’re talking to is from…GM outsourced that to at least 3 different countries.
The one thing not on anyone’s list which I think is very important…is the robotics used in the manufacturing process. How many of them are American made?? Sad to say NOT many. Chances are that electronic assembly line worker making your Ford Escape was assembled in Japan or Korea.
Just received most recent August edition of CR in which in their car test section, they refer to the new Buick Regal. Ahh, a nice sounding American car built name in one of the “Americas” ?. Nope, a German “built” compact sedan. So Germany is now in America too. So the bailout of GM is working. We are getting full automotive employment in building more efficient models made in our “sisterland”, the state of Germany; soon to be followed by the Ford Fiesta etc. from other European states.