The automotive website Cars.com has been running its annual American-Made car index for several years. The unique contest pits together different vehicles from around the world that are being sold within the United States and rates them in different metrics that measure just how "American" they are. The annual ranking is meant to inform consumers about the cars they are buying and how much of the car is being built in the U.S. Surprisingly, last year's top "American" car was a Toyota, but it has now been dethroned by a Jeep Wrangler.
Built domestically
The American-Made Index (AMI) is a List Of Cars that have been ranked according to how much of their components have been built or sourced from local factories and plants. The website also outlines the different factors and criteria that they use to make the assessment. There are currently five factors that are included, namely domestic parts content, assembly location, transmission origin, engine origin, and factory employment. The last criteria roughly measure just how many U.S. citizens are employed for the production and sale of each vehicle.
Surprising results
Last year's winners were mostly Japanese-branded cars with the Toyota Camry at the top, the Honda Accord in second place, and the Toyota Sienna in third place.
However, all three cars are now nowhere to be seen on the list. The reason for this is the fact that Cars.com no longer considers a vehicle's sales volume as a determining factor.
As with the previous year's contests, there are strict criteria that have to be met to be considered for the list. Vehicles that have sales volumes below 2,500 units are automatically disqualified.
Discontinued or final model year vehicles are also not included along with heavy-duty vehicles. The reason for the disqualification process is to have a list of cars that consumers can readily buy.
Current ranking
For the 2017 AMI, the top award now goes to The Wrangler and Wrangler Unlimited. The Jeep easily won the contest seeing as that its engines and transmission components are all built within the United States.
The vehicle also has around 75 percent of its parts sourced domestically. Closely following the Jeep Wrangler is the Jeep Cherokee, followed by the Ford Taurus, the Honda Ridgeline, and the Acura RDX, in second, third, fourth, and fifth place, respectively. While Honda still holds some spots in the top ten list, Toyota is apparently nowhere to be found this year.
