Cars and Trucks Made In America - Kogod Gives You The Bottom Line
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25 vehicles make the Top 10 list of vehicles containing the most US domestic material.
In the top spot is the Lincoln Corsair with a domestic content score of 86.
The 2022 index saw notable changes in the lineup of cars in the top 10. This year's top spot goes to the Lincoln Corsair (both the PHEV and the conventional non-electric model). This represents a huge shift from its 44th ranking in 2021, when it contained 25% US/Canadian content and a foreign-sourced engine. In 2022, the Corsair is made of 72% US/Canadian content and a US-made engine. Last year’s #1 vehicle, the manual transmission-equipped Ford Mustang, dropped to #22 as a result of changing to a Mexican-sourced transmission. Tesla again makes a strong showing with 5 of its cars in the top 10, the Model 3 Performance and Model Y at #5, and the Model 3 Long range at #2. The Chevy Corvette Stingray dropped from #2 to #3, the Chevy Colorado is #4 while Jeep’s Cherokee and Latitude models come in at #5. Two Dodge Durango models rank #6 and the Honda Passport takes the #7 spot. Four cars tied for #8: the Ford F150, the Ranger, the Automatic transmission Bronco and the Model S and X Tesla. Jeep places 3 more Cherokee models at the #9 position, joining the automatic transmission-equipped Chevy Camaro. Rounding things off in the 10th position are three Hondas, the Odyssey minivan, the Ridgeline, and the Pilot.
Looking at the past 10 years of data reveals interesting changes in the composition of the list. Tesla began production of the Model S in 2012, but we could find no data for it until the 2013 model year when it entered the index at #14. Tesla now has 5 models in the top 10. The 2013 index was dominated by the traditional Big 3 - Ford, GM, and Chrysler (premerger with Fiat). With the Chrysler-Fiat merger (Creating Fiat Chrysler Automotive) we reduced the weights by 50% for Profit Margin, and R&D. Despite these changes, FCA vehicles (now known as Stellantis) do quite well in the index. In 2013, only one non-US vehicle was included, the Toyota Avalon at #10. When considering the changes in domestic content since 2015 by manufacturers with significant sales and operations in the USA, we found that foreign manufacturers were more likely to increase US sourcing overall than US manufacturers. The following table shows a comparison in TDC for the major manufacturers from 2015 to 2022.
The table below compares major vehicle manufacturers' scores for US-sourced content this year as compared to 2015's scores.
Brand |
2015 |
2022 |
| FCA/Stellantis | 60 | 52 |
| Ford | 65 | 60.5 |
| GM | 66 | 60 |
| Honda | 50 | 57 |
| Hyundai/Kia | 17.5 | 25.7 |
| Nissan | 22 | 28 |
| Toyota | 27.5 | 32.5 |
| VW | 8.2 | 11.4 |
VW, Toyota, Hyundai/Kia, Nissan, and Honda all increased their US content while GM, Ford, and Stellantis presented drops in domestic sourcing.
This reveals an increasing focus from foreign manufacturers on increasing their US manufacturing footprint. Domestic manufacturers with more experience in developing North American sourcing strategies since the ratification of the North American Free Trade Agreement in 1994 have been more likely to look to Mexican suppliers for many of their parts and components. The recent revisions to NAFTA in the US, Mexico, Canada Trade Agreement (USMCA) may, however, incentivize producers to return some of their sourcing to the USA.
