What Cars Are Made in the USA?

Explaining what cars are made in America can be confusing in an increasingly global world. Buying "American Made" does not simply mean buying an American car, but can refer just easily to a BMW, Honda or Toyota. On Cars.com's American Made Index for instance, which tracks how much of a car is actually made in America, Detroit manufacturers have only 10 cars on the list. The phrase Made in America no longer simply refers to American brands. Many foreign car companies such as BMW and Toyota provide thousands of jobs to U.S. workers.

The Big Three

As has been the case for a very long time, there are three major American manufacturers, collectively known as the The Big Three and who make up the Detroit auto industry. These companies are Ford, GM and Chrysler, the last of which was bought with a 51-percent controlling stake by Italian manufacturing giant Fiat in 2009. Each of the Big Three brands can be broken down into sub-brands. GM owns Chevrolet, Buick, Pontiac, GMC, Hummer, Cadillac and Saturn, each of which have their own line of models. Ford owns Lincoln and Mercury, while Chrysler owns the Dodge and Jeep brands.

Built in the United States Does Not Mean Made in the United States

It should be noted that while a car may be manufactured in the United States, it does not mean that the components are sourced from American companies. Some versions of the Ford Mustang for instance use motors built in Canada and transmissions built in Mexico. The components are then assembled in the United States. Because of the global economy, almost no cars are made from components sourced from one country.

Speciality Companies

There are a handful of electric car manufacturers in the United States. Tesla makes the Roadster, a model that was developed on the British Lotus Elise sportscar platform. The Roadster is made in Silicon Valley, which is also where the upcoming four-door Tesla Model S electric sedan will be made.
Other American electric car makers include Electric City Motors, Phoenix Motorcars, Aptera Motors and Myers Motors.

Foriegn Brands Made in America

When it comes to Honda, pretty much all of the cars that they sell in the United States are made in the United States whether it's an Accord, a Civic or a pickup truck. Toyota makes the top-selling Camry, Avalon, Corolla, Matrix, Sequoia, Solara, Tacoma, Tundra and Lexus RX350 in the United States. Like Honda, the rule is generally that Toyotas made for sale in the United States are made here.

BMW makes the X5 SUV, X6 crossover and Z4 sportscar at its Spartanburg, North Carolina plant. Nissan makes its Titan pickup truck and the Altima sedan in the United States. And thanks to a major government incentive, Nissan will start making an electric car in Tennessee in 2010. Mitsubishi makes the Eclipse and Galant and Porsche-owned VW makes the Routan minivan in America. The Routan is a rebadged Chrysler minivan.

Buying American

As noted, simply buying an American car does not mean you are buying a product predominantly made by Americans on U.S. soil. Manufacturers are required to give out the percentage of parts used in a vehicle that were made in the United States or in other countries, making it easier for buyers to make an educated decision.

References

• Cars Website
• Autobytel
• United Auto Workers