Ford F-150 is Most American-Made Vehicle

(Ford Motor Company)

The Ford F-150 took the top spot away from the four-year champ, the Toyota Camry, on Cars.com’s 2013 American-Made Index. Cars.com ranks models by analyzing the percent of domestic parts used in the vehicle, where the final assembly of the vehicle takes place and the vehicle’s sales numbers.
Patrick Olsen, editor-in-chief at Cars.com, says in a statement that this isn’t the first time the F-150 has topped the list, as it was first place from 2006 to 2008 before losing out to the Camry, which took second place this year. He adds, “Ford’s top ranking this year is a good indicator of how pickup trucks are dominating auto sales so far in 2013, and how the domestic automakers are bouncing back. While the assembly point and domestic parts content of the F-150 didn’t change from 2012-2013, vehicle sales are responsible for bumping the F-150 to the top spot.”
Bloomberg says that the F-Series is experiencing the largest growth in U.S. sales so far this year. Sales through the end of May are up 22 percent from last year.
The F-150 has 75 percent of its parts made in the U.S., according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Overall, there are only 14 vehicles on NHTSA’s 2013 American Automobile Labeling Act Report that are assembled in the U.S. and have at least 75 percent of their parts made in the U.S. or Canada compared to 20 in 2012.
Even though the F-150 beat out the Camry this year, Toyota still has more vehicles on Cars.com’s list than any other automaker. The Toyota Sienna ranks fifth, the Toyota Tundra is seventh and the Toyota Avalon is 10th.

2013 Rank	Make/Model	Rank in 2012
1.	Ford F-150	2
2.	Toyota Camry	1
3.	Dodge Avenger	N/A
4.	Honda Odyssey	N/A
5.	Toyota Sienna	4
6.	Chevrolet Traverse	6
7.	Toyota Tundra	7
8.	GMC Acadia	9
9.	Buick Enclave	10
10.	Toyota Avalon	N/A

Olsen notes that purchasing an American-made vehicle isn’t a priority for every vehicle buyer out there, but he says it’s important for consumers to know that buying an American-made vehicle isn’t limited to buying only a Ford, Chrysler Group or General Motors vehicle.

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Car Shoppers Prefer Outgoing Model Deals Over Redesigns

Photo Courtesy of Chevrolet

According to an online survey that autotrader.com released last week, 79 percent of car shoppers would rather get a good deal than wait for the latest redesign.
“From computers to phones to TVs and even cars, the next ‘new’ release seems to be just around the corner, making it harder for people to have the latest and greatest for very long,” says Rick Wainschel, vice president of automotive insights at AutoTrader.com. “In that environment, especially with such a large purchase as a car, many consumers seem to feel that good is good enough, particularly if it will save them some green.”
There may also be other benefits to not getting the latest and greatest. The Washington Post points out that the redesigned 2013 Ford Fusion and Ford Escape have had recalls for multiple issues, including problems “with their engines, headlamps, brake lines, and most recently, child safety locks.” As a result, shoppers looking for a reliable vehicle may want to wait a few years for all the kinks to be worked out.
Some redesigned 2014 vehicles include the Kia Forte, Cadillac CTS, Chevrolet Silverado, GMC Sierra and Subaru Forester. As all-new 2014 models begin to show up in dealerships, keep an eye on outgoing 2013 models to see if you can get a better deal. For example, if you check out our Subaru page, you’ll notice that the 2013 Forester is available with zero-percent financing. That’s better than the redesigned 2014 Forester’s 1.9% financing, and the 2013 model also has a lower base price.

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