For the third consecutive year, Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac vehicles lead the ‘Made in America’ Automotive Index, produced by American University’s Kogod School of Business.
The Buick Enclave, Cadillac CTS, Chevrolet Corvette, GMC Acadia and Acadia Denali and Chevrolet Traverse all tied for No. 1, while 18 other General Motors’ vehicles ranked in the Top 10.
The index is authored by Frank DuBois, a global supply chain management expert and professor at American University. DuBois developed the list based on data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, along with the location of the company headquarters, design, research and development, and where profits are recorded.
More comprehensive than other studies of its kind, the Kogod index ranks models based on seven weighted data points including several factors unaddressed by the American Automotive Labeling Act, the basis for “made in America” automotive studies. The Kogod study considers:
- Profit Margin: Location of the automaker’s global headquarters
- Labor: Where the vehicle is assembled
- Research and Development
- Inventory, Capital, and Other Expenses: Location of assembly
- Engine and Transmission: Location of production
- Body, Interior, Chassis, Electrical, and Other: Location of production
- The NHTSA AALA “Domestic Content” Score
According to the American Automotive Labeling Act, if 75 percent or more of a car’s parts by value come from the U.S. or Canada, it’s considered a domestic product. Nearly 80 percent of Americans would prefer an American-made product, according to a Consumer Reports National Research Center survey. Furthermore, Consumer Reports recommends the AU/Kogod study as the best source to decipher which vehicles are American made.
Click here to view the complete 2014 Kogod Made in America Auto Index.
