American-made index ranks cars by U.S. content

Americans often place a premium on buying vehicles made of domestic parts and assembled in U.S. factories. To aid buyers interested in keeping their purchases American-made, a list is composed every six months that analyzes the content of each car's makeup. The newest edition shows the Ford F-150 is tops for the fifth time in a row.

The American-Made Index, composed by Cars.com, ranks cars on the basis of the location of vehicle assembly, the percentage of U.S.-made parts used and popularity with U.S. buyers. The F-150's rank at the top of the list is appropriate considering the results of a survey finding 49% of the respondents consider Ford to be the 'most American' manufacturer. Chevrolet finished second, though it garnered only 29% of the votes.

Of the respondents to the American-Made Index survey, 27% said they would not consider buying anything buy an American-made car, while only one-third as many (9%) were foreign-car only buyers. Most respondents didn't have a fixed allegiance. The stated reasons for buying American-only were a desire to support the local economy and brand loyalty. Foreign-car buyers believe the products to be higher quality than American-made equivalents. Recent results of J.D. Power surveys show that that isn't always the case, however, with Ford matching Toyota and Honda in initial quality.

The top five vehicles on the American-made list are, in order, the Ford F-150, Chevrolet Cobalt, Chevrolet Malibu, Pontiac G6 and Toyota Tundra.