Cars.com's American-Made Index Crowns Toyota the Most 'American' Manufacturer
July 02 2009 - 9:00AM
PR Newswire (US)
Japanese Automaker Claims Four of 10 Spots on List CHICAGO, July 2
/PRNewswire/ -- With the Fourth of July just around the corner,
Cars.com has announced the rankings in its annual American-Made
Index, which ranks the most-American vehicles based on percentage
(by cost) of their parts that are made domestically, where they're
built and how popular they are among U.S. buyers. This year, the
Toyota Camry shot to the top of the list, dethroning the five-time
winner, the Ford F-150. In addition to grabbing the No. 1 rank,
Toyota sees its Sienna (No. 6), Tundra (No. 7) and Venza (No. 10)
also make their way onto the list, lifting the Japanese automaker's
count above all other manufacturers. This year, Detroit automakers
claimed five of the 10 spots, a record low on Cars.com's index.
"This year was unique for our index, to say the least," said
Patrick Olsen, Cars.com editor in chief. "The difficult sales
environment and changes in cars' domestic-parts content -- both
important factors in our index's equation -- played a huge role in
how the rankings changed from last year." In keeping with
American-Made Index methodology, Cars.com excluded any models
scheduled to be discontinued without a clear successor. That
carried stronger implications this year, as most Pontiac models -
including the G6, a longtime index mainstay - became ineligible.
Another GM mainstay, the Ohio-built Chevrolet Cobalt, saw its
domestic-parts content rating drop significantly, ending its
three-year run on the list. General Motors still takes three slots,
with the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra 1500 pickups showing
strong domestic-parts content ratings. The popular Chevrolet Malibu
ranked third, thanks in part to its 80 percent domestic-parts
content and steady sales. The Alabama-built Honda Odyssey increased
slightly in domestic-parts content, up to 80 percent this year,
which played a large role in its elevation to the No. 4 spot.
Another newcomer, the Ford Taurus, boasts an impressive 90 percent
domestic-parts content, the highest of any vehicle on the list. "In
today's global economy, there's not an easy way to determine just
how American a car is," Olsen said. "Most cars built in the U.S.,
for example, are assembled using at least some parts that come from
somewhere else. Cars.com's American-Made Index helps consumers
identify the most-American vehicles based on production location,
percentage of domestic-parts content, and American sales volume for
each vehicle." Rank Make/Model U.S. Assembly Rank in July 2008
Location(s)* 1. Toyota Camry** Georgetown, Ky.; -- Lafayette, Ind.
2. Ford F-150 Dearborn, Mich.; 1 Claycomo, Mo. 3. Chevrolet
Malibu*** Kansas City, Kan. 3 4. Honda Odyssey Lincoln, Ala. 7 5.
Chevrolet Silverado Ford Wayne, Ind. 8 1500*** 6. Toyota Sienna
Princeton, Ind. 6 7. Toyota Tundra San Antonio 5 8. GMC Sierra
1500*** Fort Wayne, Ind. -- 9. Ford Taurus Chicago -- 10. Toyota
Venza Georgetown, Ky. -- *Excludes assembly plants suspended or
scheduled for shutdown: Pontiac, Mich. (Chevrolet Silverado, GMC
Sierra) and Orion Township, Mich. (Chevrolet Malibu) **Excludes
Camry Hybrid and Camry Solara. ***Excludes hybrid models, which are
broken out separately - or, in the case of the Malibu Hybrid,
suspended for consumer sales. Sources: Automaker data, Automotive
News, dealership data, National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration. About the American-Made Index The Cars.com
American-Made Index is an annual ranking of vehicles deemed most
American based on American production, percentage of domestic parts
and American sales volume. Domestic-parts content is based on data
that appears alongside the window sticker of new cars as a result
of the American Automobile Labeling Act, enacted in 1994. The AALA
mandates that virtually every new car display the percentage, by
cost, of its parts that originated in the U.S. and Canada. Only
those vehicles with a domestic-parts content rating of 75 percent
or higher are eligible for the American-Made Index. For more
information about the American-Made Index, visit Cars.com. About
Cars.com Cars.com is the leading destination for online car
shoppers, offering credible, easy-to-understand information from
consumers and experts to help buyers formulate opinions on what to
buy, where to buy and how much to pay for a car. With comprehensive
pricing information, side-by-side comparison tools, photo
galleries, videos, unbiased editorial content and a large selection
of new- and used-car inventory, Cars.com puts millions of car
buyers in control of their shopping process with the information
they need to make confident buying decisions. Launched in June
1998, Cars.com is a division of Classified Ventures, LLC, which is
owned by leading media companies, including Belo (NYSE:BLC),
Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE:GCI), The McClatchy Company (NYSE:MNI),
Tribune Company and The Washington Post Company (NYSE:WPO).
DATASOURCE: Cars.com CONTACT: Jackie Brennan, Associate Public
Relations Manager, +1-219-577-6106, , or Steve Nolan, Public
Relations Manager, +1-630-310-2468, , both of Cars.com Web Site:
http://www.cars.com/
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