The Ford Mustang GT Is No Longer the Most American-Made Car: Study

Photo: Ford

Every year, American University’s Kogod School of Business releases a list of vehicles built with the largest percentage of American-sourced parts. Last year, the manual Ford Mustang GT took the top spot with a total score of 88.5. But this year, it’s no longer even in the top 20. Why? Ford now uses a Mexican-sourced manual transmission.

That change drops the manual Mustang GT down to number 22 on the list. But if you’re just counting vehicles ahead of it and ignoring ties, it’s actually number 71. If you want a more American-made Mustang, though, get the four-cylinder or an automatic GT. They’re both tied at 11 (or are 26th and 27th).

But while the Mustang GT is no longer the most American car on the list, Ford still took the top two spots with the Lincoln Corsair and the Corsair plug-in hybrid. Both earned a total score of 86, beating the Tesla Model 3 Long Range’s score of 82.5.

Meanwhile, GM’s most American vehicles are none other than the Chevrolet Corvette Stingray and the Colorado, with the former earning a score of 81 and the latter 80.5. They’re followed by two Stellantis products, the Jeep Cherokee Latitude and the Cherokee Trailhawk. If you want the most American Wrangler, that’s going to be the Unlimited Sahara, but it’s way down the list with a score of 60.5.

Foreign automakers also made the list, with Honda arguably doing the best. If you allow for ties, the Passport Trailsport (78.5), Odyssey (76), Ridgeline (76), and Pilot (76) all make the top 10. In fact, a foreign brand other than Honda doesn’t show up on the list until you get to the Kia K5 and Toyota Camry, which both scored a 71.

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It may feel kind of weird to hear that a bunch of Hondas are more American than the Jeep Wrangler. But hey, that’s just the reality in the era of global supply chains and free trade agreements.