Is your car truly Made in America?

As tariff fight grows, it’s complicated to answer

With the threat of tariffs looming, consumers could face higher costs for imported vehicles.

American-made vehicles are largely insulated from tariffs. But the key question is: What qualifies as American-made?

Automotive parts are often sourced throughout the world, making it difficult to ascertain what’s truly made in the USA.

Another factor that complicates the equation: Sometimes foreign automakers manufacture vehicles with more American-made components than domestic automakers.

That’s why Cars.com’s 2018 American-Made Index isn’t dominated by the traditional Detroit Three automakers: General Motors, Ford Motor and Chrysler. In fact, Japanese manufacturer Honda has four vehicles in the top 10: three Honda models and one luxury Acura vehicle.

But Jeep, a brand synonymous with American grit and spirit, tops the list. (Although these days its parent company, Fiat Chrysler, is based in Europe.)

Ford, which has been based in Michigan since founder Henry Ford launched the company, has three vehicles on the list.

The index measures “which cars are manufactured in America, have the most American parts and support the most American factory jobs,” Cars .com said.

That includes an assessment of the percentage of parts in each vehicle that are made in the U.S., the origin of the engines and transmissions and the location where each vehicle is assembled.