Detroit (WWJ) -- Even though pickup sales have fallen this year...there's something about pickups that are so...all American. The Ford F series has topped the cars.com list five straight times. The list ranks the most-American vehicles based on percentage (by cost) of parts made domestically, location of vehicle assembly and how popular each car is with U.S. buyers. Ford was also chosen as the most American company by consumers.
In addition to the top spot, Ford was chosen by consumers as the most-American automaker, according to a recent survey conducted by Cars.com. In the survey, 49 percent perceived Ford to be the most-American manufacturer. Chevrolet ranked a distant second, at 29 percent. Vehicles from Ford and Chevrolet's parent, GM, comprised more than half of this year's American-Made Index.
Although most said their buying habits aren't influenced by where a car is manufactured. Only 27 percent of buyers say they would only consider purchasing an American made car. Nine percent look at it the other way, and say they only purchase imports. Those considering American-made cars are motivated by a desire to support the economy or loyalty to an American-made brand. Those who only buy foreign do so primarily because they perceive them to be of higher quality. These buyers said higher-quality cars and better fuel economy from American automakers would make them more appealing.
"In today's global economy, decisions about buying 'American-made' products can be easily clouded," said Patrick Olsen, editor-in-chief of Cars.com. "Most cars built in the U.S., for example, are assembled using at least some parts that come from somewhere else. Cars.com's American-Made Index helps consumers identify the most-American vehicles based on production location, percentage of domestic parts content, and American sales volume for each vehicle."
The index looks at American content, as well as buyer perception. Alabama’s Honda Odyssey got a boost because its domestic-parts content rating rose to 75 percent from 2007’s 70 percent, which combined with strong sales figures to raise the vehicle to No. 7 on the list
The American-Made Index
Rank Make/Model (U.S. Assembly Location(s) - Rank Last Dec.)
1. Ford F-150(a) (Claycomo, Mo.; Dearborn, Mich. - 1)
2. Chevrolet Cobalt (Lordstown, Ohio - 2)
3. Chevrolet Malibu(b) (Kansas City, Kan. - 9)
4. Pontiac G6 (Orion, Mich. - 5)
5. Toyota Tundra (Princeton, Ind.; San Antonio - 4)
6. Toyota Sienna (Princeton, Ind. - 6)
7. Honda Odyssey (Lincoln, Ala. - N/A)
8. Chevrolet Silverado 1500 (a) (Fort Wayne, Ind.; Pontiac, Mich - 3) .
9. Chrysler Sebring (Sterling Heights, Mich. - N/A)
10. Ford Explorer/Sport Trac (Louisville, Ky. - 10)
Trac
(a)Rankings based on estimated sales breakouts and/or production data
(b)Excludes hybrid.
Sources: Automaker data, Automotive News
(1) Impulse Research Corp: Respondents are representative of American men and women 18 and older. The overall sampling error rate for this survey is +/-3 percent.
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