- May 1, 2005
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Letter to the Editor: Taking Issue With Cars.com's American-Made Index
ICYMI: American Automotive Policy Council President Matt Blunt’s Letter to Cars.com
Dear Mr. Olsen:
The Cars.com compilation claiming to rank vehicles on an "American-Made Index" for readers and consumers is, unfortunately, misleading since the methodology used to screen the list fails to place a premium on the American content of vehicles. Most readers would assume the car ranked first had the highest American content, but that is not the case. The list instead rates vehicles using a methodology that gives weight to the number of cars sold, rather than a data model focused on rating the actual content of the vehicles and its parts.
As a result of using methodology weighted toward sales, the list unfortunately shortchanges a number of models exceeding the domestic content of the car ranked first. For example, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), here are a few American-made models that equal or exceed the domestic content of the Toyota Camry:
* Ford Explorer with 85% domestic content
* Dodge Dakota with 84% domestic content
* Dodge Avenger Sedan with 83% domestic content
* Dodge Grand Caravan with 82% domestic content
* Chrysler 200 Sedan with 81% domestic content
* GMC Savana with 80% domestic content
The American Automotive Policy Council (AAPC) is proud to serve as an advocate for the American automotive manufacturing industry's unique contribution to communities all across the country. The superior domestic content of vehicles made by Chrysler, Ford and General Motors is just one measure of their unique contribution to our economy.
It is worth noting that the vehicles with the highest American Automobile Labeling Act (AALA) ratings happen to be from companies with significantly more workers here, who build more vehicles here and conduct more of their research and development here. In auto manufacturing, having the home field advantage translates into millions of American jobs.
Sincerely,
Matt Blunt
President, The American Automotive Policy Council
Editor's Response:
One of the key reasons we produce the AMI each year is to show consumers that badges alone do not make for an American car. The approach you've taken, which focuses only on Domestic Parts Content, is one way to get at this issue. We've chosen a different path.
We do take into account domestic parts content. (According to Congress, that includes parts from the U.S. or Canada. How truly domestic that is, we'll leave to the lawmakers.) We also only include cars whose final assembly point is also in the U.S. The Grand Caravan, which you list, is assembled in Canada. That van would never make our list.
We use sales as an indexing factor; presumably, the better a car sells in the U.S., the greater the number of suppliers and autoworkers are employed in producing that car. We agree it's certainly not a system that is beyond debate, and while we know our approach may not be the only one available, we believe it is the best one that lets consumers check for themselves on dealer lots to see how truly American their next car will be.
The 2011 American Made Index will be released this summer.
Patrick Olsen, editor-in-chief
ICYMI: American Automotive Policy Council President Matt Blunt’s Letter to Cars.com
Dear Mr. Olsen:
The Cars.com compilation claiming to rank vehicles on an "American-Made Index" for readers and consumers is, unfortunately, misleading since the methodology used to screen the list fails to place a premium on the American content of vehicles. Most readers would assume the car ranked first had the highest American content, but that is not the case. The list instead rates vehicles using a methodology that gives weight to the number of cars sold, rather than a data model focused on rating the actual content of the vehicles and its parts.
As a result of using methodology weighted toward sales, the list unfortunately shortchanges a number of models exceeding the domestic content of the car ranked first. For example, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), here are a few American-made models that equal or exceed the domestic content of the Toyota Camry:
* Ford Explorer with 85% domestic content
* Dodge Dakota with 84% domestic content
* Dodge Avenger Sedan with 83% domestic content
* Dodge Grand Caravan with 82% domestic content
* Chrysler 200 Sedan with 81% domestic content
* GMC Savana with 80% domestic content
The American Automotive Policy Council (AAPC) is proud to serve as an advocate for the American automotive manufacturing industry's unique contribution to communities all across the country. The superior domestic content of vehicles made by Chrysler, Ford and General Motors is just one measure of their unique contribution to our economy.
It is worth noting that the vehicles with the highest American Automobile Labeling Act (AALA) ratings happen to be from companies with significantly more workers here, who build more vehicles here and conduct more of their research and development here. In auto manufacturing, having the home field advantage translates into millions of American jobs.
Sincerely,
Matt Blunt
President, The American Automotive Policy Council
Editor's Response:
One of the key reasons we produce the AMI each year is to show consumers that badges alone do not make for an American car. The approach you've taken, which focuses only on Domestic Parts Content, is one way to get at this issue. We've chosen a different path.
We do take into account domestic parts content. (According to Congress, that includes parts from the U.S. or Canada. How truly domestic that is, we'll leave to the lawmakers.) We also only include cars whose final assembly point is also in the U.S. The Grand Caravan, which you list, is assembled in Canada. That van would never make our list.
We use sales as an indexing factor; presumably, the better a car sells in the U.S., the greater the number of suppliers and autoworkers are employed in producing that car. We agree it's certainly not a system that is beyond debate, and while we know our approach may not be the only one available, we believe it is the best one that lets consumers check for themselves on dealer lots to see how truly American their next car will be.
The 2011 American Made Index will be released this summer.
Patrick Olsen, editor-in-chief
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