The Ford Mustang is quintessentially American, thanks to its rich culture and affinity to the masses. However, there is a scientific way to determine which is the most American car out there instead of just arguing about the fact. In the annual ‘Made in America’ index released by the American University Kogod Business School, the Ford Mustang GT has topped the chart once again.
The list appraises the percentage of parts used in each car that comes from the United States or Canada, and here’s why the Mustang topped the list.
The Top Members On The List
Around 88.5 percent of the Ford Mustang GT is made in the United States and Canada. In reality, it's just 77% of parts, however factors like being collected locally count as well. In any case, the top rank only applies to the GT fitted with the six-speed manual transmission. In an extreme scenario, getting a manual transmission makes the indigenous-made status drop a crazy nine spots! Going down the list, the runner-up on the rundown is the Chevrolet Corvette, with 86% of content obtained from the mainland. Possessing the illustrious third spot is the Tesla Model 3, being 82.5 percent American.
With its V8-fueled engine and 6-speed stick, the GT utilizes 88.5 percent American and Canadian parts. However, fitting an automatic transmission from Mexico slipped the rank to 10th. A few vehicles show up more than once, on account of the various trims that use parts from different sources. Because of a large number of ties between models, there are 21 vehicles on the school's best ten list. Seventeen of them come from U.S-based organizations. In a wonderful turn of events, Honda has secured places for four of its models.
A Year That Changed Auto-Making
The tumultuous last year stirred up the list, as automakers have been compelled to source parts from uncommon spots. The previous year's champ, for example, was the Ford Ranger, but this year, it dropped to the sixteenth rank as Ford has gotten inventive by sourcing parts from different places all over the world to make the Ranger better. In 2020, the Ford Ranger had secured the best position over the Ford Mustang with 70% homegrown parts. This year, that sum has drastically dropped from 70% to 40%. Because of the sourcing problems due to the pandemic, it is not surprising that there was a lot of change in one year.
The Mid-Range Performers
After the Chevy Corvette Stingray came in second with 86% TDC, the Tesla Model 3 secured the next position with a decent 82.5%. The Model 3 holds an insane record for the Long Range, Standard Range, and Performance varieties. At 80.5% TDC, the Ford Bronco 2.7L closely catches up. The Ford Expedition, Chevy Canyon, Chevy Colorado, Tesla Model S, and Y were all awarded the fifth spot with 80% TDC for each.
Three distinct trims of the Jeep Cherokee share the 6th spot. The Chevy Camaro with automatic came in at number seven while the manual Camaro came in at seventeenth as a result of its transmission from Mexico. The Ford F-150 and the Tesla Model X were offered the eighth spot. Honda joined the 10th spot with the cluster of Ridgeline, Odyssey, Pilot, and Passport. Lastly, the Ram 1500 was offered the last spot with the automatic 5-liter and the 2.3-liter Ford Mustang with Ecoboost. The vehicles in the tenth spot were made of 76% homegrown parts.
Other Noteworthy Names In The Top Ten
The rank list shows that Ford and GM had more than 70% TDC. FCA, Toyota, Hyundai, Honda, Kia, and Fiat Chrysler came in at 65-70 percent. Tesla is excluded from the table despite it making all of its vehicles in the US. The EV maker normally has a number around 81% TDC. In reality, that would have put Tesla in front of Ford and GM. When looking at the contrast between the TDC for US-gathered vehicles and the normal TDC for all vehicles, the fact becomes known that the spare part producers serve the US market from a nearby base. Honda leads the segment in this class as a non-American brand but settled automaker.
In correlation, Toyota has a sensibly small TDC in direct contrast to its wide-ranging presence in the country. It is a result of Toyota and Lexus importing most of their parts from Japan. Numerous vehicles like the RC, 4Runner, and Prius came in at 0% TDC. The lack of semiconductor chips also affected the rank outcome. This could be the reason Diamler and Subaru saw huge drops in comparison to the previous year. Plus, the pandemic made critical interruptions in auto parts stocks which also played its part.
In its notes, the University noticed that Tesla was not consistent with its part sourcing and perhaps that is the reason it was excluded from the 2021 graph. The Ford Mustang GT ultimately triumphed as the most American car is true to its fame as an icon of the American spirit and culture.