For just about everyone, the Jeep brand has long been identified as the prototypical American made kind of vehicle. First dreamed up and constructed by the old Bantam Car Company in a small town north of Pittsburgh, Pa., the go anywhere Jeep has really gone, everywhere, in its 75-plus year history.
Well, almost everywhere, anyway. That’s because the brand’s Wrangler edition just reached a new spot nothing in the line has previously achieved.
The Wrangler, now constructed in Toledo, Ohio., just topped the list of most American-made vehicles, according to a recent report by automotive website Cars.com. And another plus, the new Cherokee which is now built in Illinois, captured second place.
"The Wrangler, as a descendant essentially of the military Jeep that helped the Allies win World War II, had pretty good American credentials to begin with," Cars.com executive editor Joe Wiesenfelder said. "It seems to go even deeper than that."
The Jeep Wrangler easily won the site’s American Made Index top spot, as its engine and transmission components are all built within the United States. The vehicle also has around 75 percent of its parts sourced domestically. The second place Cherokee has 70 percent.
Ford’s Tarus, Honda Ridgeline and Acura RDX round out the top five vehicles. What is not on the list, however, is last year’s top three vehicles – Toyota Camry, Honda Accord and Toyota Sienna.
Part of the reason for the list’s shake up is Cars.com changed criteria for the first time in the index’s 11-year history. The index now uses five elements to assemble its list: where a vehicle is assembled, the percentage of parts originating from the United States, where the engine is built, where the transmission is built, and U.S. plant employment.
Sales volume is no longer a determining factor. In fact, those vehicles with a sales volume under 2,500 are automatically dropped from consideration.
"Over the American-Made Index's 11-year history, the number of models meeting our original criteria has fallen due to the globalization of automobile manufacturing – from more than 60 vehicles in the index's inaugural year to eight last year," Wiesenfelder said in a company release. "By the original requirements, only three 2017 models would have qualified this year. With that, we've revamped the AMI to account for the changing landscape and to reinforce factors representing the domestic economic impact when a buyer purchases one model versus another.”
According to Cars.com, about 1 in 4 people in a recent survey currently would consider purchasing a vehicle solely from an American manufacturer. That is up from 13 percent in 2016. More importantly, 50 percent of survey respondents stated supporting the local economy and brand loyalty are their primary reasons for buying American.
"In an era of build-American sentiment, a sizable portion of shoppers still care where their car comes from," Wiesenfelder added. "That said, it is important for shoppers to remember that the logo on the vehicle doesn't necessarily tell the full story. The cars on this year's list of the 'most-American' hail from automakers headquartered in Europe and Asia as well as North America. Conversely, some vehicles with distinctively American brand names rank low by AMI standards."
The top 10 most American-made cars, according to Cars.com, and where they are made:
- Jeep Wrangler/Wrangler Unlimited; Toledo, Ohio
- Jeep Cherokee; Belvidere, Ill.
- Ford Taurus; Chicago
- Honda Ridgeline; Lincoln, Ala.
- Acura RDX; East Liberty, Ohio
- Ford F-150; Dearborn, Mich. and Claycomo, Mo.
- Ford Expedition; Louisville, Ky.
- GMC Acadia; Spring Hill, Tenn.
- Honda Odyssey; Lincoln, Ala.
- Honda Pilot; Lincoln, Ala.
