NEW INDEX: Which cars are really Made in USA?

By Steven Capozzola
The GMC Acadia places first in the Kogod Made in America Auto Index. | Photo by Abdullah AlBargan via Flickr

American University’s Kogod School of Business has put together an index that evaluates and ranks 253 car models based on country of origin. The index includes an analysis of factors not addressed by the American Automobile Labeling Act (AALA).

The findings: Out of the 253 cars evaluated (with all being 2013 cars), American-made cars took the top 28 slots. They also scored 41 of the top 51, including the top 5 pickups, top 6 sedans and top 15 SUVs.  This means that if it says "Made in USA," chances are that it actually is.

The analysis was developed by Professor Frank DuBois to determine the degree to which cars sold in the U.S. really are “American-made.”

Dubois wanted to answer questions like "Where the automaker’s global headquarters is located," "Location of production," and "Location of assembly."

What makes such an analysis so tricky, according to Dubois, is that American-made can only reflect a percentage of a product’s content when considering the global supply chain involved in the automotive industry.
“If you break down a single “American-made” transmission, you’ll find many smaller parts, each stamped with
its own country of origin. You may well find 80 percent of the parts inside that transmission didn’t come from
the U.S,” said Dubois.

According to Dubois, the index can help consumers buy American.

For a complete listing of the index, click here.