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Pickup trucks are undoubtedly one of the symbols of vehicles in the United States of America.
Whether owners are dealers, contractors, off-road enthusiasts, or someone who needs to haul large cargo or a family, the pickup truck’s size, physical presence, and capability make it a worthwhile vehicle for many Americans.
According to a report by Kelley Blue Book, three of the best-selling vehicles in 2023 were pickup trucks: Ford (F) F Series, GM (GM) Chevrolet Silverado and Stellantis (STLA) Ram pickup line.
Although these vehicles build themselves up as valid symbols of American ingenuity and craftsmanship, a new report suggests that the truck from an “import brand” is actually more of a made-in-the-USA vehicle than anything (supposedly) from Detroit.
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According to the latest edition of US-made Cars.com indexAmerica’s most popular pickup truck doesn’t wear Chevrolet, GMC, Ford, or Ram badges.
Believe it or not, the index’s creators consider the most popular truck manufactured in the United States to be the Ridgeline, a four-door pickup truck offered by Japanese automaker Honda. (Hamad Medical Corporation)
Honda
Although Honda is a Japanese company, Cars.com looks at various factors when determining the “Americanness” of a particular vehicle, going beyond companies that claim Detroit or any other city or region in the United States as their birthplace, or A vehicle that is manufactured in a factory within the United States.
Instead, they look at five categories: parts content, the origin of the car’s engine and transmission, the location where the car was assembled, and the number of American hands involved in the manufacturing process.
Honda builds the Ridgeline and its engine at its facility in Lincoln, Alabama. It also produces Honda’s other best-selling vehicles, such as the Pilot SUV, Passport crossover, and Odyssey minivan, all of which rank in the top 20 American-made cars.
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However, the best of Detroit is in very different places across the list.
Jeep’s Stellantis received the highest rating among all U.S. brands, with the Wrangler-based Gladiator pickup trailing the Ridgeline in eighth place. The budget-friendly Ram 1500 Classic comes in at No. 19, while the current generation Ram 1500 comes in at No. 43, with 32 percent of the truck’s content, including its engine, made in Mexico.
The best-selling vehicle in the United States, the gas-powered Ford F-150, ranked 58th on the list, two spots behind its electric counterpart, the Ford F-150 Lightning, which ranked 56th. Ford’s most compact pickup trucks, Maverick The hybrid and ranger are not ranked on the list. The Ranger is built at Ford’s facility in Wayne, Michigan, but the $23,920 Maverick is built in Hermosillo, Mexico.
For General Motors, the Chevrolet Colorado, made in Wentzville, Missouri, and GMC Canyon, rank 23rd and 24th, respectively, with 19% of their parts coming from Mexico. By comparison, the full-size Chevy Silverado and its GMC twin, the Sierra lags far behind at 89th and 90th, respectively, since 36% of its parts come from Mexico.
Cars.com evaluated 401 cars for the 2024 Cars.com US-Made Index, and the list it published reflects the top 100 cars the site evaluated.
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