Most Used American Cars Domestically from Cars.com

With the Fourth of July upon us, Cars.com has unveiled its semiannual American-Made Index, which 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. For the fifth time in a row, Ford’s F-150 has claimed the top spot on the list.

In addition to holding the top spot on Cars.com’s American-Made Index, Ford was chosen by consumers as the most-American automaker, according to a recent survey conducted by Cars.com.¹ In the survey, 49 percent of respondents perceived Ford to be the most-American manufacturer. Chevrolet ranked a distant second, with 29 percent of participants calling it the most-American automaker. In keeping with consumer perception, vehicles from Ford and Chevrolet’s parent, GM, comprised more than half of this year’s American-Made Index.

Consumer attitudes about domestic versus foreign cars made their choices vary greatly, according to the same Cars.com survey. While most say their buying habits aren’t influenced by where a car is made, 27 percent of consumers said they would only consider buying American-made vehicles, and 9 percent would only consider foreign-made cars. Of those who only consider American-made cars, most are motivated by a desire to support the economy or loyalty to an American-made brand. Those who only buy foreign makes 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 these brands 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.”

Newcomers to the July 2008 American-Made Index include the Honda Odyssey and Chrysler Sebring. According to Cars.com, the 2008 Odyssey’s domestic-parts content rating went up to 75 percent from the ‘07’s 70 percent, which combined with strong sales figures to raise the vehicle to No. 7 on the list. Chrysler’s strongest sellers, the Dodge Ram and Grand Caravan, have never appeared on the Index due to low domestic content or assembly in Canada, but its Michigan-built Sebring sedan and convertible made it to ninth place.

About the American-Made Index:

The Cars.com American-Made Index is a semiannual ranking of vehicles deemed most American based on American production, percentage of domestic parts and American sales volume.

Domestic-parts content is based on data that appears alongside the window sticker of new cars as a result of the American Automobile Labeling Act, enacted in 1994. The AALA mandates that virtually every new car display the percentage, by cost, of its parts that originated in the U.S. and Canada. Only those vehicles with a domestic-parts content rating of 75 percent or higher are eligible for the American-Made Index.

For more information about the American-Made Index, visit Cars.com.