Honda dominates most American-made vehicles list

manufactured in China with only 2 percent domestic parts, said Wiesenfelder.

The Odyssey (ranked second) sold in its home country doesn’t share much with the larger one here, just to give some perspective on how confusing it can be to assign nationalism to a brand. The other Hondas cracking the top 10 were the Honda Ridgeline pickup (third), Honda Pilot SUV (sixth) and Acura MDX midsize SUV, all made in Alabama on a shared platform to simplify manufacturing. The Acura MDX (seventh) is also made in East Liberty, Ohio.

“The way the American-made Index has been built was to reflect U.S. economic impact,” Wiesenfelder said. “You can’t tell what the U.S. economic impact is based solely on the brand.”

The global nature of auto manufacturing means parts can be sourced from all over the world then produced domestically, with profits funneled to headquarters in another country.

The most Americanmade car in the first quarter of 2018 is the Jeep Cherokee, manufactured in Belvidere, Ill. But Jeep is owned by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, an Italian company headquartered in London. Fiat rescued Chrysler from bankruptcy in 2009 and earlier this month made a commitment to invest globally in Jeep and Ram while Chrysler and Dodge will be lower-volume regional brands.

“I think Chrysler is going to continue to be relevant in the U.S.,” FCA CEO Sergio Marchionne said of the company’s five-year strategic plan. “Don’t expect it to be a global brand.”