Ryan OlbryshCar and Driver
In a world where Dodge Challengers are built in Canada, Buicks are assembled in China, and Hondas are constructed in Ohio, buying an American vehicle isn’t quite as easy as it used to be. That’s why the car shopper who wants to buy American needs to dig deeper than the badge on the grille.
Read a vehicle’s window sticker closely. Since 1994, the American Automobile Labeling Act (AALA) dictates that all carmakers must list the vehicle’s assembly point, the country of origin for its engine and transmission, and the percentage of its parts content sourced from the United States and Canada. Exceptions include vehicles capable of carrying more than 12 people, vehicles with gross vehicle weight rating greater than 8500 pounds, and multipurpose passenger vehicles. Motorcycles and delivery trucks are also exempt.
How does the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration‘s AALA report work? These percentages are calculated after automakers report where their equipment is sourced. The most expensive pieces of equipment are considered more important in this data. For example engines and transmissions count for more of this percentage than say the lug nuts or windshield wipers. The quantity of items is also considered here. For example, a vehicle with an automatic transmission built in Germany is given more credit than a vehicle with a manual transmission assembled in the U.S.—if more people buy the model with the automatic. Figuring it all out is about as straight forward as filing for unemployment as a freelance extreme unicyclist, but based on these government tallies, here are the 10 most American vehicles available in 2021.
10. Mercedes-Benz GLE-class
Mercedes gives America its most American German SUV. The GLE has more North American-sourced content than any other luxury SUV or crossover. But there’s a caveat. (There are going to be many caveats on this list.) The high made-in-America percentage listed here only applies to GLE350 models. All GLEs are assembled in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, alongside the larger GLS-Class, which has a significantly lower percentage of U.S. and Canadian parts. Though that’s still more than many American SUVs–including the Jeep Wrangler, Cadillac XT5, and Ford Expedition. The GLE350’s engine is sourced from North America, while its transmission comes from Germany.
- AALA U.S./Canada parts content: 69%
- Final Assembly: Tuscaloosa, Alabama
- Engine Origin: U.S.
- Transmission Origin: Germany
MORE GLE-CLASS SPECS
9. Chrysler 300
Interestingly, the American sedan with the most content from the United States and Canada is built in the Great White North with a rear suspension designed by Mercedes and transmissions assembled in Gray Court, South Carolina. The rear-wheel drive Chrysler 300’s 3.6-liter V-6 is sourced from the U.S., while its 5.7-liter V-8 comes from south of the border. In fact, 17 percent of its content comes from Mexico. All-wheel drive is available on this full-size sedan, as well as its mechanical twin, the Dodge Charger.
- AALA U.S./Canada parts content: 69%
- Final Assembly: Brampton, Ontario (Canada)
- Engine Origin: Mexico (5.7-liter V-8)
- Transmission Origin: U.S.
MORE 300 SPECS
8. Honda Odyssey
The next few vehicles come from Honda. The same Honda with its headquarters in Tokyo, Japan? Well, sort of. Honda’s North American subsidiary, American Honda Motor Company, is headquartered in Torrance, California, and has 12 manufacturing plants across Alabama, Ohio, Indiana, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. The Honda Odyssey, one of the best minivans sold today, is built in Lincoln, Alabama. This is also where Honda assembles the Odyssey’s 280-hp V-6 engine, while its 10-speed automatic transmission comes from the Georgia Transmission Plant in Tallapoosa. It might not be as cool as the Acura NSX built in Marysville, Ohio, but it’s gotta make the folks building Honda weed wackers in North Carolina a little jealous.
- AALA U.S./Canada parts content: 70%
- Final Assembly: Lincoln, Alabama
- Engine Origin: U.S.
- Transmission Origin: U.S.
MORE ODYSSEY SPECS
7. Honda Ridgeline
As Ford, Chevy, and Ram duke it out for truck supremacy and their buyers wave the red, white, and blue, the most American pickup is actually a Honda. And it isn’t exactly a mud bogger or a stump puller. The mid-size Honda Ridgeline doesn’t have traditional body-on-frame construction or a V-8; it’s a unibody pickup with V-6 power, so it isn’t built for ultimate towing capacity or off-road ruggedness. But it more than makes up for that with good fuel economy, a comfortable ride, and car-like handling. Naturally, we’ve named it to our 10Best Trucks and SUVs several times.
- AALA U.S./Canada parts content: 70%
- Final Assembly: Lincoln, Alabama
- Engine Origin: U.S.
- Transmission Origin: U.S.
MORE RIDGELINE SPECS
6. Honda Passport
The practical Honda Passport has a 280-hp V-6 and a 10-speed transmission, and just like the other Hondas on this list, has a 70 percent parts content from North America. The Passport is one of four vehicles built at Honda’s Alabama facility. We drove a Passport for 40,000 miles during our long-term test without spending a single dollar on repairs or normal wear parts. Nice work Alabama.
- AALA U.S./Canada parts content: 70%
- Final Assembly: Lincoln, Alabama
- Engine Origin: U.S.
- Transmission Origin: U.S.
MORE PASSPORT SPECS
5. Honda Pilot
Like the other Hondas on the list, the three-row Honda Pilot is also built in Alabama. It also shares the same V-6 and 10-speed automatic transmission as the others. The Pilot’s three-row competitors don’t score as high on the AALA parts list. The Toyota Highlander is at 55 percent, with 15 percent from Japan, and the Hyundai Palisade, near the bottom of the list, uses only 5 percent of parts from North America, while another 80 percent from its Korean homeland. The Pilot shares its max towing capacity with the Ridgeline at 5000 pounds, which is enough to tow the fishing boat to the lake in time for fireworks.
- AALA U.S./Canada parts content: 70%
- Final Assembly: Lincoln, Alabama
- Engine Origin: U.S.
- Transmission Origin: U.S.
MORE PILOT SPECS
4. Dodge Charger
The sportier Dodge Charger and the muscular two-door Dodge Challenger are built on the same Canadian assembly line as the Chrysler 300. The three also share powertrains, but the Charger’s 70 percent U.S. and Canadian part content is 1 percent ahead of the Chrysler 300 and 4 percent higher than the Challengers. Like the 300, the Charger is rear-wheel drive and powered by several engine options. Its standard 3.6-liter V-6 comes from the Saltillo South Engine Plant in Mexico. Mexican content equates to 17 percent of the full-size sedan, while some of its transmissions come from Germany.
- AALA U.S./Canada parts content: 70%
- Final Assembly: Brampton, Ontario (Canada)
- Engine Origin: Mexico (5.7-liter V-8)
- Transmission Origin: Germany
MORE CHARGER SPECS
3. Jeep Cherokee
Third place on this list is a crossover from the same company that helped the U.S. win World War II. It’s the Jeep Cherokee. It’s been among the best-selling vehicles for nearly five years straight, though that number still can’t hold a candle to Wrangler sales. The Cherokee has a 70 percent parts content here, which is 10 percent more than Wrangler; 18 percent of its parts are sourced from Mexico. The Cherokee’s standard 180-hp four-cylinder is assembled in Dundee, Michigan, while it’s 270-hp turbocharged four-cylinder and 271-hp V-6 are both made in Trenton, Michigan.
- AALA U.S./Canada parts content: 71%
- Final Assembly: Belvidere, Illinois
- Engine Origin: U.S.
- Transmission Origin: U.S.
MORE CHEROKEE SPECS
2. Chevrolet Corvette
Forty years ago, Chevy turned a former Chrysler air-conditioning factory into the Kentucky home of the Corvette. Since 1981, the Bowling Green Assembly building has been building Stingrays. Today, the 10Best-winning mid-engine Corvette is assembled there, with 72 percent parts content from North America. Corvette’s 490- or 495-hp V-8 and eight-speed dual-clutch transmission are both built under the same roof. The new Corvette is one of the quickest cars we’ve tested in the last decade, climbing to 60 mph in just 2.8 seconds. And its top speed of 184 mph is pretty damn righteous.
- AALA U.S./Canada parts content: 72%
- Final Assembly: Bowling Green, Kentucky
- Engine Origin: U.S.
- Transmission Origin: U.S.
MORE CORVETTE SPECS
1. Ford Mustang
On April 17, 1964, 22,000 yankee-doodle-dandies ordered up the first of the Ford Mustang. Since then, Ford has produced over 10 million pony cars, and now its sixth-generation, the Mustang is put together at the 400-acre Flat Rock Assembly plant in Michigan; 77 percent of the Mustang’s parts are sourced from North America, more than last year’s most-American vehicle, the Dodge Grand Caravan (now discontinued). Its 310- or 330-hp 2.3-liter turbocharged four-cylinder is assembled at the Cleveland Engine Plant in Brook Park, Ohio. While the 760-hp V-8 in the GT500 is handcrafted at the Romeo Engine plant in Michigan.
- AALA U.S./Canada parts content: 77%
- Final Assembly: Flat Rock, Michigan
- Engine Origin: U.S.
- Transmission Origin: U.S.
MORE MUSTANG SPECS
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