Is your car made in America?

[CoolBreeze]

Many consumers looking to buy an American-built vehicle are having a hard time finding one that's assembled here with 100-percent American-built components. That’s because it's actually impossible, at least if you’re talking about buying a car from the major carmakers.

Made In U.S.A. (Partly)

For example, while Jeep's Patriot may be built in Belvedere, Ill., its transmissions originate in Mexico, Japan and Germany. Similarly Ford's Michigan-assembled Mustang may be as American as mom, Marines, and apple pie, but its transmissions come from China, France, the U.K., and Mexico. Chrysler's PT Cruiser isn’t even built in the U.S. – it’s assembled in Toluca, Mexico, though its transmission is U.S.-sourced. GM, meanwhile, builds its Chevy Camaro in Canada and its GMC Sierra pickup in Mexico.

Confusing? Yes. But that’s not the start of it. BMWs are now built in the U.S. and so are some Mercedes vehicles (in Spartanburg, South Carolina, and Vance, Alabama, respectively). With Japanese carmakers having established multiple assembly plants across the U.S. and American car companies operating plants in Canada and Mexico lines are blurred further.

Ford’s Fusion, Fiesta, and Lincoln MKZ models are built in Mexico, while the Edge, Flex, Lincoln MKX, and Lincoln MKT are built in Canada. Other North American models are built in the U.S.

According to NHTSA documents provided to AOL Autos, Ford’s compact Focus is assembled in Wayne, Mich., with 90 percent of its parts sourced from the U.S. and Canada, but its transmission originates in Germany. While the Taurus is assembled in Chicago, Ill., about 65 percent of its parts are of U.S. origin. But its engine and transmission are both built in the U.S.

The F-Series pickup truck, that most iconic of domestic vehicles, is assembled in Kansas City, Missouri, and Dearborn, Michigan, but with just 55 percent of parts made in the U.S. or Canada. More than 15 percent of its parts come from Mexico, although all of its engines and both transmission systems are built in the U.S. Some transmissions for the Mustang (assembled in Flat Rock, Michigan) come from China.

GM vehicles assembled in Canada include Chevrolet's Camaro, Equinox and Impala and the GMC Terrain, while vehicles built in Mexico include Cadillac's SRX and Escalade EXT, Chevrolet's Aveo, HHR, Silverado, and GMC's Sierra. GM vehicles built in the U.S. include Buick's LaCrosse, Lucerne and Enclave, Cadillac's CTS, DTS and STS-V, Chevrolet's Cruze, Corvette, Malibu and Tahoe, and GMC's Yukon.

According to figures from IHS Global Insight, of the GM vehicles assembled domestically, several Corvette engines are built in Canada, with several transmission variants originating in Mexico. Its Chevrolet Silverado (assembled in Fort Wayne, Indiana) carries U.S.-built engines across all models, but several transmissions are built in Mexico. For the Cadillac CTS assembled in Lansing, Mich., several engines originate in Canada and Mexico, and the transmissions for various models in the CTS range come from Japan, France, Mexico, and the U.S. Some engines for GM's Chevrolet Cruze, assembled in Lordstown, Ohio, come from Szentgotthard, Hungary.

Chrysler says about 61 percent of the components it uses for its Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep lines come from the U.S., while about 20 percent come from Mexico and Latin America, about 10 percent from Canada and just under 10 percent from the rest of the world. It maintains large production facilities across the U.S., but also builds its 300 and Dodge Challenger and Charger, in Canada, and the PT Cruiser in Mexico.

Of the Big Three's foreign competition, Toyota, Honda, Hyundai and Kia all proudly trumpet their domestic-built credentials. (Honda was the first Japanese carmaker to build a car plant in the U.S., in Marysville, Ohio., in 1979, and more Honda vehicles are now built in the U.S. than in Japan.) Toyota builds its Camry and Avalon models in Georgetown, Kentucky, its Sienna and Highlander in Princeton, Indiana, and has large plants in Huntsville, Alabama, and San Antonio, Texas. Hyundai builds the Sonata and Elantra in Montgomery, Alabama, and shares a plant in West Point, Georgia, with Kia, which recently celebrated the 100,000th Sorento rolling off that line.

Nissan and VW both have longstanding ties to Mexico, with plants in Aguascalientes and Cuernavaca (Nissan) and Puebla (VW). Nissan assembles its small cars like the Versa in Mexico and its larger truck and SUV lines in Smyrna, Georgia. VW imports all its vehicles into the U.S., though it will be opening a new plant in Tennessee.

Mercedes-Benz assembles its ML-, R- and G-Class vehicles in Vance, Alabama, with a U.S./Canadian parts content of 62 percent, but both its engines and transmissions are unsurprisingly sourced from Germany. BMW, meanwhile, assembles its X-series SUVs in Spartanburg, South Carolina, with mostly German componentry.

Electric carmaker Tesla's bodywork is completed by Lotus in England, and then shipped to California for assembly. It will jointly develop electric cars with Toyota at the NUMMI plant in Northern California.

It's a little surprising that some excellent automotive products are born of such a mix and muddle of production systems. But today's intertwined global economy – and car market – ensures that no matter where it comes from, today's cars mostly are built to high standards.

Otherwise, Americans wouldn't buy them.

http://autos.aol.com/article/is-your-ca ... -american/

[cgarison]

I proudly drive a car assembled by the members of the C.A.W. in St. Thomas, Ontario that is made out of 90% US Content.

[The Interpreter]

Then there are those of us who now drive CUV's with 0% North American content. Never thought I'd see the day...but it was the best combination that offered what I needed and wanted at the time...

[AmpedNow]

Then there are those of us who now drive CUV's with 0% North American content. Never thought I'd see the day...but it was the best combination that offered what I needed and wanted at the time...

Welcome to "the Dark Side".

My biggest argument for years has been there is no such thing as an "American made" vehicle... Only American companies -- two of which only survive because of government subsidies. All are anchored down by Big Labor.

The best way to directly support WV workers is to buy a Toyota Tacoma, Camry, or Corolla. All of the engines are made in the Buffalo plant, although they are assembled elsewhere. It would be nice if one of the Big 3 built a plant in WV, but I'm not holding my breath.

With that said, I do like what I've seen about the Ford Fiesta and the Chevy Cruze. Better late than never, I guess... But they still need to prove that they are on par with Asia with small vehicle build quality, instead of treating it like a "throwaway" class.

[jag]

It would be nice if one of the Big 3 built a plant in WV, but I'm not holding my breath.

Toyota IS one of the big three! It's one of the biggest there is!

But they still need to prove that they are on par with Asia with small vehicle build quality, instead of treating it like a "throwaway" class.

Excellent call, AmpedNow!! For whatever reason(s) smaller vehicles are purchased, those who buy them still expect (and deserve) quality, comfort, performance and value. For so long, "American" car companies have offered their smaller cars as appliances only to those who were "buying a price" and nothing else.

[cgarison]

Then there are those of us who now drive CUV's with 0% North American content. Never thought I'd see the day...but it was the best combination that offered what I needed and wanted at the time...

My wife's vehicle falls into that category. I would like to say that it is 100% Japanese with all Toyota parts, but I know that many of the Delphi sourced parts came from places other than Japan. I am pretty sure under the hood, the only pieces that are Toyota are the short block and transaxle. I would swear that the rack & pinion steering was ripped from a front drive GM w-body.

[The Interpreter]

Since you have always liked playing 20 questions, I own a vehicle not made by Toyota, but rather by a company partly owned by Toyota that produces Camrys for Toyota in a plant in Indiana where the model I own is not made! Doesn't leave a lot of options, especially since I already said it's a CUV...

Terpy, who drove one of those Australian type station wagon thingies, thinking he wanted one, but couldn't believe the body roll and overall floatiness...so ended up with a sylvan cruiser instead...and yes, the dark side...it's black actually (and bought almost exactly a year ago...traded in the Ford Five Hundred for it, I did)

[Mike]

Just bought a brand new 2011 Ford Focus. It gets 31 MPG (according to the computer in all my regular driving). It's as solid as any Japanese car and is made by the ONLY non government or foreign owned American car company left... Ford.

[Tom Taggart]

Also is great for driving around town, though not for long road trips. I have an '07 Focus.

[AmpedNow]

Excellent call, AmpedNow!! For whatever reason(s) smaller vehicles are purchased, those who buy them still expect (and deserve) quality, comfort, performance and value. For so long, "American" car companies have offered their smaller cars as appliances only to those who were "buying a price" and nothing else.

Yep. Just ask all the poor saps who got stuck with Neons. Or Escorts. Or Chevettes. Oh, wait...

Much of it stems from the old American mindset that bigger is better. Everyone would drive Escalades, Hummers, and Denalis if they could afford to. The ones who don't are either too poor, or are environmental loons.

Obviously, this never was the truth. Some people really don't like to drive large vehicles... But it was obvious for years that Detroit didn't give a rip about compacts, with their shoddy build quality and lack of decent options. For years, Toyota and Honda sold the best compacts available, but even those were stripped of "luxury" options compared to their larger vehicles.

When I see the Cruze, the redesigned Focus coming out next year, and the Fiesta imported from Ford's European division, it gives me hope that the companies are finally paying attention to the compact market. These vehicles look to be the best ones ever produced in their class. It will be interesting to see how Honda and Toyota respond in their next Civic/Corolla redesigns.

The average Civic/Corolla can go 12-15 years and 250k without major problems if properly maintained. Hopefully these cars can meet and exceed that.

[cgarison]

This past summer, Toyota serviced the brakes on the RAV4 and the service included rebuilt calipers, new rotor and pads, and flushing the brake fluid for a vehicle that 35,000 miles on the odometer. The most noticeable difference was that the brake pedal became more sensitive and the pedal began slowing the pads as soon as it was touched and not allowing an inch of travel before the brakes started working.

I wonder if the 2007 Rav4 should have been included in the recall of Highlanders, Avalons, and Lexus Models.

http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-201 ... 06300.html

And for the record, the brakes on my GrandMa with 43,000 miles are much, much stronger than the 8,000 mile rebuild of brakes on the Rav. I am glad the American auto companies have learned from what we have said and are building cars that will stop. I remember stepping on the brakes of my Jeeps 10 years ago and praying that the damn thing would slow down and even stop before rear ending the car in front of me.