Ford and General Motors: Still Manufacturing in the USA?
Revamped Report:
The iconic American giants, Ford and GM, have long embodied the spirit of American industry and Working-Class America, supreme in the U.S. auto market with their renowned products like the Ford F-150 and the all-American Chevy. However, a recent ranking shakes the very foundation of this longstanding image, tossing Detroit's auto industry legacy into question.
Cars.com's 20th annual American-Made Index, a ranking based on aspects like U.S. factory jobs, domestic manufacturing plants, and the proportion of American parts, offers a staggering revelation. In this list, the legacy American brands seem like fish out of water. Tesla steals the show, holding the top spot for the Model 3, while GM's Chevy Colorado pickup barely squeezes in at number 19. Ford, on the other hand, disappointedly has no vehicles in the top 20. Conversely, even foreign brands like Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Kia, and every Tesla model (except the Cybertruck), manage to secure a place. Stellantis, with the Jeep Gladiator and Wrangler, both assembled in Toledo, Ohio, is the only other notable exception.
This ranking comes at a politically charged time. With President Donald J. Trump's new trade war and a 25% tariff on imported cars being imposed from April 3, the adminstration is pushing an "America First" manufacturing agenda. Yet, the nation's most prominent automakers are churning out automobiles that, according to this metric, are less American than their foreign rivals.
When contacted by Gizmodo, both companies remained evasive, preferring to emphasize their job creation numbers and investments over their poor performance in the ranking.
"We've added about 13,000 jobs in the U.S. since 2008, employing the most hourly autoworkers in the U.S." said a Ford spokesperson, adding that "80% of the vehicles we sell in the U.S. are assembled here."
GM responded by highlighting a recent $4 billion investment in domestic plants, affirming their commitment to American manufacturing.
While both companies are indeed substantial U.S. employers, with close to 90,000 employees each (more than half their total workforce), their vehicles frequently lack the American-made label for reasons beyond just assembly. Cars.com scrutinizes the origins of engines and transmissions, and the proportion of American and Canadian parts. The website warns that just because a model may be built in an American facility doesn't necessarily mean it's exclusively made there.
For brands that have constructed their image on a foundation of American identity, failing to even crack the top 15 is nothing short of a PR disaster. This suggests that in the globalized auto industry, the "American-made" label is more intricate than it appears.
- The future of Ford and GM's image, built on American identity, is uncertain as they struggle to compete in Cars.com's American-Made Index, with Tesla leading the way.
- As technology advances and globalization shapes the auto industry, even iconic American brands may find it challenging to maintain the "American-made" label, as demonstrated by the 2020 ranking.
