Most American Made Cars
Jul 31, 2013
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- Image Credit: (flickr, Bart Heird)
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For the first time in four years, a U.S. brand vehicle has made it to the top of Cars.com's Most American list.
The survey -- which takes into account how many parts in the car are made in the U.S., where the vehicle is assembled and how many cars are sold here – named the Ford F150 the Most American vehicle for 2013. From 2009 to 2012, that honor went to the Toyota Camry, which is built in Kentucky and Indiana.
"Buying American isn't necessarily the key decision maker for every car shopper; however a study we conducted in 2012 indicated that 25 percent of shoppers surveyed preferred to buy American," said Patrick Olsen, editor-in-chief at Cars.com. "The American-Made Index is meant to help car shoppers understand that 'American-Made' extends beyond just the Detroit three."
Check out: Most American Cars of 2021 -
- Image Credit: (Ford Motor Co)
1. Ford F150
The F150 has been the best-selling vehicle in the U.S. for over 20 years. Built in Dearborn, Mich., and Claycomo, Mo., the F150 is topping the sales charts again, because the recovering economy means many small businesses are back in the market for trucks.
"Ford's top ranking this year is a good indicator of how pickup trucks are dominating auto sales so far in 2013, and how the domestic automakers are bouncing back," Olsen said. "While the assembly point and domestic parts content of the F-150 didn't change from 2012-2013, vehicle sales are responsible for bumping the F-150 to the top spot." -
- Image Credit: (Toyota)
2. Toyota Camry
Built in Georgetown, Ken., and Lafayette, Ind., the Toyota Camry has been considered the Most American car by Cars.com for several years in a row. The Camry is the most popular sedan in the U.S., even despite a spate of recalls involving sudden acceleration issues.
The Camry is one of those vehicles people like to buy because it's mostly reliable, comfortable and holds its value for a long time. It's certainly not a sexy or exciting ride, but it's the choice for the masses. -
- Image Credit: (Chrysler)
2. Dodge Avenger
This very American sedan, built in Sterling Heights, Mich., is likely heading out to pasture in the next year or two. Chrysler, Dodge's parent company, says it wants to focus on having just one mid-sized sedan. They'll likely focus their efforts on the Chrysler 200. -
- Image Credit: (Honda)
4. Honda Odyssey
Built in Lincoln, Ala., this most American vehicle was part of a most American immigration dispute. Alabama recently changed its laws to say anyone caught without a valid state ID would be arrested. The law was intended to catch illegal immigrants.
One Honda employee visiting the Lincoln plant from Japan was arrested in late 2011 under the law after he was pulled over while driving through Leeds, Ala., which is about a half hour from Lincoln. He didn't have his license or valid passport with him, and was arrested. The charges were later dropped after his attorney faxed over a copy of his license to a judge.
A similar thing happened to a German executive visiting a Mercedes plant in Alabama. Debate over the law has since settled down, and it's probably a good thing Alabama has stopped arresting foreigners who are there working on investments worth millions of dollars to the state. -
- Image Credit: (Toyota)
5. Toyota Sienna
Is there anything more American than the Toyota Sienna minivan? Built in Princeton, Ind., the Sienna is a staple among American families. You can find them packing school parking lots, lining up along soccer fields on Saturday mornings, and weighed down with bags, inflatable toys and coolers heading for the beach in the summer.
Few cars are more in tune with American families than the Sienna, which is built by a Japanese automaker in the U.S. -
- Image Credit: (General Motors)
6. Chevrolet Traverse
American automakers have been trying to reinvent the SUV ever since gas prices started rising and people began realizing they really didn't need to commute to work in a vehicle built for climbing mountains. Built in Lansing, Mich., the Traverse is a crossover vehicle that aims to satisfy American's desire for big cars, but also provide a little bit better fuel economy. -
- Image Credit: (Toyota)
7. Toyota Tundra
When Toyota began building the Tundra in San Antonio, Texas, the automaker took out billboards all over the state announcing how Texan and American the new Tundra would be. The yellow and black billboards proclaimed: "The new Toyota Tundra: Born in Texas, Built by Texans."
Truck owners have loyalty to their brands that spans generations, not just years. So for Toyota to win over many American truck buyers, they had to prove they were as American as Ford, Chevy and GMC. From the looks of it, they appear to be making their case quite well. -
- Image Credit: (General Motors)
8. GMC Acadia
Also built in GM's Lansing, Mich., plant with the Chevy Traverse, the GMC Acadia is another crossover that's striving to capture customers from the old SUV market.
GM's Lansing plant is actually in nearby Delta Township. The state of Michigan has given GM millions in tax breaks to locate the plant there, and more tax breaks are headed GM's way. The company just announced it's planning to build a $38.6 million logistical center near the Delta Township plant, and got $4 million in tax rebates from the city of Lansing to do so. -
- Image Credit: (General Motors)
9. Buick Enclave
The Buick Enclave crossover is built at the same plant as the Acadia and Chevy Traverse in Lansing, Mich. -
- Image Credit: (Toyota)
10. Toyota Avalon
The Toyota Avalon is built in Georgetown, Ken., which was Toyota's first wholly-owned manufacturing plant in the U.S. The company started production there in 1988.
Toyota has worked on boosting its image as a local company, and gives tours of the Georgetown plant to anyone who might want to see just how "American" these cars are.
