Chart Of The Day: Domestic Content Edition

Edward Niedermeyer
by Edward Niedermeyer

These are the ten vehicles that NHTSA says are made from 90 percent domestically-produced components [via cars.com]. Notice a common thread there? Yes, the correct answer is Ford involvement, but according to cars.com, the task of crowning a “king of domestic content” isn’t as simple as NHTSA’s number.

Cars.com doesn’t give away the secret recipe for its American Made Index, but it says that it weighs parts content (minimum requirement: 75 percent) against sales to find the maximum economic impact. It also models excludes vehicles built exclusively outside the U.S. or models that are being phased out (akaTown Car, and the Mercurys). Here is the top of their list for 2010:

Edward Niedermeyer
Edward Niedermeyer

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  • Wagen Wagen on Jun 25, 2010

    It's a shame that the phrase "fun to drive" doesn't describe a single vehicle on either list. (Well, maybe the wrangler if one expands the driving to include off-road.)

  • D_c_weber D_c_weber on Mar 09, 2011

    We need a domestic content label for products sold in this country. The content should be based on the % of dollars that go to USA citizen's versus the % of dollars that go to non-USA citizens. It doesn't matter that a Ford Fusion is built in Mexico. What matters is that for every dollar that is spent on a Fusion, $0.90 goes to USA citizens. Even though some Mexican's put togetehr the final product, that doesn't make it a Mexican vehicle. Same with a Honda Civic. Sure a few thousand dollars goes to some laborers in Marysville, OH. But, follow the money. All of the profit, engineering, and most parts go to Japanese citizens. I have good froiends that are Japanese. But, when it comes to patriotic duty, balancing the trade deficit comes before the cheapest price and it comes before friends. Afterall, my grandchildren will be the peons to the Chinese and Japanese and Koreans if we don't buy USA today.

  • BrandX "I can charge using the 240V outlets, sure, but it’s slow."No it's not. That's what all home chargers use - 240V.
  • Jalop1991 does the odometer represent itself in an analog fashion? Will the numbers roll slowly and stop wherever, or do they just blink to the next number like any old boring modern car?
  • MaintenanceCosts E34 535i may be, for my money, the most desirable BMW ever built. (It's either it or the E34 M5.) Skeptical of these mods but they might be worth undoing.
  • Arthur Dailey What a load of cow patties from fat cat politicians, swilling at the trough of their rich backers. Business is all for `free markets` when it benefits them. But are very quick to hold their hands out for government tax credits, tax breaks or government contracts. And business executives are unwilling to limit their power over their workers. Business executives are trained to `divide and conquer` by pitting workers against each other for raises or promotions. As for the fat cat politicians what about legislating a living wage, so workers don't have to worry about holding down multiple jobs or begging for raises? And what about actually criminally charging those who hire people who are not legally illegible to work? Remember that it is business interests who regularly lobby for greater immigration. If you are a good and fair employer, your workers will never feel the need to speak to a union. And if you are not a good employer, then hopefully 'you get the union that you deserve'.
  • 28-Cars-Later Finally, something possibly maybe worth buying.
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