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American-Made Vehicles Ranking: General Motors Tops Ford and Chrysler

The Kogod Made in America Auto Index is an interesting chart. The last two decades saw the automotive industry rely more and more on outsourcing and suppliers outside an automaker’s country of origin. Naturally, globalization led to the dilution of the American-made label for some nameplates, but the local biz is still going strong.
2015 Kogod Auto Index top scorers 1 photo
Photo: General Motors
The American Automotive Labeling Act tells that a motor vehicle with 75 percent or more of its components come from the United States or Canada, the vehicle is worthy of being considered a domestic product. This is where the American University’s Kogod School of Business comes on the scene, identifying which is the most American-made manufacturer of the Detroit Big Three.

Before breaking the results, we need to mention that the study analyzes the following: profit margin (location of the manufacturer’s global headquarters); labor (location of assembly); R&D, inventory, capital, and other expenses (location of assembly); engine and transmission (location of assembly); body, interior, chassis, electrical components, and other (location of assembly); NHTSA AALA "Domestic Content" score.

Without further beating around the bush, the “Made in America” index is topped by General Motors with 24 models. The Buick Enclave, Cadillac CTS, Chevrolet Corvette, GMC Acadia (and Denali) and Chevrolet Traverse tied for No. 1, while 18 other General Motors’ models ranked in the Top 10. The best-ranking GM nameplates have a total domestic content of 87.5 percent according to the Kogod study. In comparison, the nameplates that tied for No. 6 (Cadillac Escalade, Buick Verano, GMC Yukon, Chevrolet Tahoe, Suburban, and Cruze) are 80 percent domestic content.

Ford can pride itself with seven nameplates in the top 10. 82.5 percent domestic content goes into the Ford Expedition, Explorer, F-Series pickup truck and Taurus. Lincoln scored 80 percent with the MKS and Navigator while the S550 Mustang is 77.5 percent US-made. In FCA US LLC’s case, the Chrysler peeps boast six cars in the top 10. These are the Jeep Cherokee, Cherokee Limited 4x4 (79.5 percent) and Wrangler 2/4-door (79 percent), as well as the Dodge Durango, Chrysler 200C, and Chrysler 200 (77.5 percent).

We’re happy to announce that three Toyota and a Honda model made the Kogod Made in America Auto Index’s top 10 ranking, all of them scoring 78.5 percent domestic content. The nameplates are the Honda Odyssey, joined by the Toyota Camry, Sienna XLE and Sienna. If you’re curious about how much domestic content went into your car, access www.american.edu/kogod/autoindex/2015.cfm and use “search for you car” to find out. The complete 2015 Made in America Auto Index can be found in the PDF file below.
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 Download: 2015 Made in America Auto Index (PDF)

About the author: Mircea Panait
Mircea Panait profile photo

After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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