Ford Ranger climbs past Jeep to claim top spot
Survey ranks vehicles made in America
The Ford Ranger knocked the Jeep Cherokee out of the top spot, and Tesla made its debut in Cars.com’s 2020 American-Made Index.
The annual survey results, released Tuesday, rank new vehicles that “contribute most to the U.S. economy” through U.S. factory jobs, manufacturing plants and parts sourcing.
The Ranger midsize pickup, a nameplate that was relaunched last year, is built at Ford’s plant in Wayne, Michigan, which is west of Detroit. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles’ Jeep Cherokee, which is built in Belvidere, Illinois, holds the survey’s No. 2 spot.
Tesla, with its factory in Fremont, California, captures the No. 3 and 4 spots, respectively, with its Model S and Model 3, and No. 9 with its Model X. Honda has spots 5, 6 and 7 with its Odyssey, Ridgeline and Passport, all made in Lincoln, Alabama. And General Motors has two vehicles, both Chevrolets, in the top 10: the Corvette (Bowling Green, Kentucky) at No. 8 and the Colorado pickup (Wentzville, Missouri) in the final spot.
The addition of Tesla is noteworthy. This is the first year the company supplied the information needed for it to qualify, according to Kelsey Mays, Cars.com’s senior consumer affairs and vehicle evaluations editor.
“Tesla’s also the only automaker on the list to build 100% of the cars in America that it sells here,” Mays said.
Where a vehicle is made is becoming increasingly important to consumers, according to Mays.
“We live in a global economy, but Cars.com’s research found 70% of American shoppers consider a car’s U.S. economic impact a significant or deciding factor in their vehicle purchase,” Mays said. “The COVID-19 pandemic is increasing Americans’ desire to buy local, with 37% reporting they are more likely to buy an American-made vehicle in light of the economic disruption of COVID-19.”