Made in the USA: seven of the best cars made here
Along with fireworks and hot dogs, celebrating the Fourth of July may put you in mind to be sure any car you buy is Made in the USA. But in this era of globalization, determining which vehicles deserve that label is increasingly complicated.
European and Asian companies hire American workers to assemble cars in this country. Honda (HMC) and Toyota (TM) make parts here as well. But those profits still go to foreign companies.
An index calculated by an American University professor takes all those factors into account — not only parts and assembly but where the parent company is based and where research and development is done. The result is better rankings for cars made by General Motors (GM) and Ford (F). Jeep and other Chrysler Group products also rank relatively well even however Chrysler now is part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCAU).
Associate Professor Frank DuBois of American’s Kogod School of Business, an pro on the global supply chain, notes that his index goes beyond the data required by the American Automotive Labeling Act, which includes both U.S.- and Canadian-made components as “American” parts for its ranking. He argues that his calculations give the fullest possible picture of which vehicles most support U.S. jobs and company earnings.
We know shoppers want not only an American-made car but one that looks good, performs well and fits their needs. So, we looked at seven categories of vehicles for models that scored seventy five or above (out of a possible 100) and also ranked well in reviews compiled by U.S. News Best Cars.
​Petite car: Chevrolet Cruze
The Cruze is one of the very first well-built, nicely tooled petite cars GM has sold in this country. Reviewers like its convenient rail, competent treating and roomy trunk for a car its size. Assembled in Lordstown, Ohio, the Cruze offers a turbocharged four-cylinder engine that has an EPA rating of twenty six miles per gallon in city driving and thirty eight on the highway.
The Cruze is the only American brand puny car that comes with an optional diesel engine. Test drivers loved the acceleration from the diesel — and its forty six MPG rating for highway driving (27 in the city).
The Cruze list price ranges from $16,170 to $25,660.
​Mid-size sedan: Toyota Camry
Despite coming from a Japanese company, Camry ranks very first for American content in a compilation done by Cars.com. But in the broader American University index, it ties for ninth even however it has assembly plants in Georgetown, Kentucky, and Lafayette, Indiana. Perhaps in the ranking that matters most, the Camry is the perennial best-selling midsize family sedan in this country.
Reviewers praise the Camry for its quiet, convenient rail and roomy rear seats. The standard Camry four-cylinder engine is rated for twenty five MPG in city driving, thirty five on the highway. Test drivers preferred the acceleration in the optional V-6 engine, but the estimated MPG for this engine drops to twenty one city, thirty one highway.
List prices on the Camry range from $22,970 to $31,370.
​Luxury car: Cadillac CTS
The CTS sedan is top-ranked among midsize luxury cars by U.S. News and ties for third in the American University Made in America index.
Reviewers praise the CTS for its excellent treating and powerful brakes. But it also has a roomy and stylish interior. Albeit the base engine is a four-cylinder (estimated MPG of twenty MPG in city driving, thirty on the highway), more powerful engines are available. The six-cylinder is ranked at eighteen MPG city, twenty nine highway, and a turbocharged six gets sixteen city, twenty five highway.
List price for the CTS, assembled in Lansing, Michigan, ranges from $45,345 to $Sixty nine,900.
​SUV: Buick Enclave
Like the woman in the Buick TV ad, you may not be able to identify an Enclave. But it ranks among the top three large SUVs at U.S. News and ties for very first on the American University Made in America index.
Reviewers like the roomy seating for up to eight passengers and the stylish interior. And if it’s cargo you want to haul, the Enclave boasts one hundred fifteen cubic feet of space with the 2nd and third rows of seats folded down. The Enclave is powered by a V-6, which test drivers say generates sufficient power to go up steep hills. It has an EPA rating of seventeen MPG in city driving and twenty four on the highway.
List price for the Enclave ranges from $39,050 to $49,305. It’s assembled in Delta Township, Michigan.
​Minivan: Honda Odyssey
The Odyssey is the top-ranked minivan in the U.S. News survey and is the highest-ranking Honda in the American University Made in America index — where it’s tied for ninth overall. As it has in prior years, the two thousand fifteen Odyssey has powerful acceleration and agile handling–especially unusual in such a large vehicle.
The Odyssey’s V-6 engine also has high gas mileage ratings for this category — nineteen MPG in city driving and twenty eight on the highway. Test drivers report that the Odyssey seats, even in the third row, are roomy enough for adult passengers. Standard features in the base Odyssey LX include a rearview camera and front seats with power adjustment.
List prices for the Odyssey, which is assembled in Lincoln, Alabama, range from $28,975 to $44,600.
​Pickup: Ford F-150
With a total redesign for 2015, the F-150 dropped from its first-place American University ranking last year but is still tied for third. Test drivers praise the F-150 for its roomy interior and agile treating. The agility comes partly from an aluminum bod in the fresh design that weighs less than the two thousand fourteen version. That lighter weight also helps the gas mileage — rated for eighteen MPG in city driving and twenty five on the highway.
Reviewers say the F-150 also has an attractive interior and a roomy backseat in the crew-cab version.
Assembled in Kansas City, Missouri, the F-150 has list prices ranging from $25,981 all the way up to $55,070.
​Sports car: Chevrolet Corvette
Not only is it very first in the hearts of many American sports car fans, the Corvette also ties for very first in the Made in American index. Test drivers love the Corvette for its exhilarating acceleration and athletic treating in both the basic Stingray and the Z-06 high-performance version. The Stingray comes with a 6.2-liter V-8 engine that produces four hundred fifty five horsepower and is rated for seventeen MPG in the city, twenty nine on the highway.
Assembled in Bowling Green, Kentucky, the Corvette also has convenient seats and stylish interior.
List prices commence at $55,000 and range up to $83,000 for the Z-06. The Corvette also made our list of five cars that retain their value.