What Cars and Trucks Are Really Entirely American Made Cars?

Are any cars today Entirely American Made Cars?

American made cars and trucks are more difficult to find then ever. Some brands have shipped manufacturing outside the United States to Canada or Mexico to save costs, while some previously imported brands are setting up production facilities in the United States that not only do assembly work, but drivetrain parts sourcing, as well.

This can make finding a new car that really is entirely American made a somewhat difficult task, as there are many hundreds of assembly plants, but relatively few full production plants. Particularly problematic is trying to buy American made cars or trucks from the big three. While build quality has risen dramatically in Detroit, the automakers are still relatively unprofitable because of union agreements that were made when many baby boomers began working in the 1960s and 1970s.

These agreements typically included pension agreements that would provide retirees with a means of support for they and their spouses until death. You have to remember, at the time, ladies seldom entered the work force, so one pension has to be used to support two people, including their living and medical costs.

The Effect of Labor Unions on American Jobs

There are upsides and down sides to labor unions . They do serve a purpose in protecting workers against unethical practices by corporations, but the down side has become evident in the failing health of American Automakers and the jobs that they supply. Whether this is due to mismanagement of funds on the part of automakers is up for debate. As expenses from these automakers has escalated, predominantly due to baby boomer pensions coming into effect as outgoing workers are replaced with new workers, they have been pushed time and again to move production to less restrictive labor markets elsewhere, where pensions are not offered as part of a salary package.

Obviously, this has come as nothing short of a death blow to new American Jobs in the automotive sector that are reliant on not only Chrysler, Ford and General Motors, but to their parts suppliers in the United States, as well.

Today’s new American Made Cars

Today, there are a few foreign manufacturers who have set up shop in the United States to produce cars and trucks. As they are not beholden to the Detroit labor unions, they are free to offer wages that are perceptually “fair” to the employees who work for them, offering 401-K retirement options as opposed to pensions. This has led to an influx of formerly “imported” vehicles being produced domestically. There are 18 non-specialty American made cars that are built entirely in the United States, and several manufacturers are beginning to follow suit.

Far more prevalent are the number of vehicles that are assembled in the United States from parts that may be made overseas. This list also does not include vehicles that utilize major components such as the engine or transmission that may be produced overseas.

Chrysler
-Avenger
-200
-Jeep Liberty
-Dodge Nitro

Ford
-Expedition
-Navigator
-F150
-F250
-Focus
-Taurus
-Lincoln MKS

GM
-Cadillac DTS
-Cadillac Escalade
-Cadillac Escalade ESV

Honda
-Accord Crosstour
-Acura RDX
-Pilot
-Ridgeline

Kia
-Sorento

Toyota
-Sequoia
-Tundra

As foreign automakers begin to see normalizing of wages compared to their native markets, chances are good that further development within the United States auto industry will take place, building additional production facilities in the United States that will not only increase the number of American Jobs available, but will also allow for an expansion of automaker supplier opportunities, significantly impacting not just the list of fully American made cars, but the American economy, as well.

Sources:
The New York Times: Automobiles: “Cars and Trucks that are Built in the United States” February, 2011


People also view

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *