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Submitted by: Al Wannestadt
How do you know if your car is made in America? The pride Americans used to take in owning an American-made vehicle seemed to disappear for a few years, but has recently been making a comeback, along with a strong desire to help local companies and the U.S. economy. But while this should be an easy question to answer, since almost everyone knows which automakers are American companies, these days it is not that simple. It has become difficult to even tell what constitutes an American-made car , since automakers now have plants all over the world. Foreign companies are now making cars in the United States, while Ford, GMC, and Chrysler can have vehicles manufactured globally.
Today, it is nearly impossible to find a vehicle that is 100-percent made in the U.S.A. While most of the U.S. automakers are still manufacturing vehicles here, the parts that go into those cars may be imported from foreign countries. Additionally, each car manufacturer may have different cars built in different countries. For example, while Chevy builds its Tahoe in the United States, the Camaro is assembled in Canada. These types of global expansion make it difficult to know exactly where your vehicle was made.
However, there are ways to determine which cars are more American than others. The labels on new cars tell consumers where the vehicle was assembled, and where certain parts, such as the engine and transmission, originated. While it is up to each consumer to decide what he constitutes as made in America, these labels can help make that determination, since most of the work that does into making a car is done at the assembly plant. Therefore, although a vehicle s engine or transmission may be imported, if it is assembled in the United States, it is pretty much as American-made as you can get.
Another thing to consider is whether a foreign company building vehicles in the United States could be considered American-made. Currently, Toyota, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Nissan, Mercedes-Benz, and BMW all have assembly plants in the U.S. In fact, Honda builds more vehicles in the United States, than in its home country, Japan; and Kia recently celebrated its 100,000 Sorento rolling off the line at its plant in West Point, Georgia. Volkswagen has also announced plans to open its first plant in the United States, in Tennessee.
Some examples of foreign models that are actually built locally include Toyota s Camry and Highlander, Hyundai s Sonata and Elantra, BMW s X-series SUVs, and Mercedes ML-, R-, and G- Class vehicles. Telsa s electric vehicles are also being assembled in the U.S., but the bodywork is completed in England before being shipped to California.
Whether the company does all or some of its work in the United States they are still providing jobs for local economies around the country. Assembly plants, administrative offices and even dealerships are all providing jobs and support for local communities. Choosing to buy American-made is great and you re options aren t as limited as you think.
About the Author: Al Wannestadt works as a freelance writer and marketer for companies like CarLocate, a web car listing service with
new and used cars
for sale. They are located at
CarLocate.com
. When he is off the clock, Al writes about and stays up-to-date on the latest marketing innovations, and follows the latest news about the automotive industry and cars.
Source:
isnare.com
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