Choosing between American and foreign automobiles is sometimes a complicated decision, but it’s still interesting to notice how many consumers feel very strongly about one of these options. If you’re not particularly devoted to either American or foreign cars and trucks, you might be wondering which one is actually the best one to choose. That being said, you’ll need some statistics and facts if you want to make the right decision, and below are a few of them for you to consider.
What Percent of Cars in America Are Foreign?
Nearly half of all cars in the United States are from overseas. More specifically, a total of 45.51% of them are foreign cars, while 54.49% are domestic vehicles. That means the number of foreign-made cars on U.S. roads is nearly the same as that of the cars made in America.
Why Are Foreign Cars Better Than American Cars?
“Better” is a subjective term, but because European car manufacturers usually have stricter regulations and requirements than car companies in the United States, foreign vehicles do tend to be higher in quality and last much longer than those made in the United States. Of course, each vehicle is different than the next one, so consumers should never just assume that just because one is made in a foreign country that it is automatically better than all of the cars and trucks made in the United States.
Why Are American Cars Better Than Foreign Cars?
American cars are sometimes better than foreign vehicles, especially for consumers who wish to “buy American” whenever they can. Even though it’s sometimes difficult to tell exactly where the parts in a certain vehicle come from, some vehicles do have more American-made parts than others, and this is important to a lot of people. American-made cars also provide a few other advantages over foreign vehicles, including more luxury, bigger and better SUVs and vans, vehicles with parts that might be less expensive individually, and of course, the satisfaction of knowing you are supporting American workers whenever you buy an American-made vehicle.
Do American or Foreign Cars Last Longer?
There are always arguments regarding whether American or foreign vehicles last longer. At one time, a typical vehicle drove very well until it reached about 100,000 miles, at which time it would start to have problems. That is no longer the case; in fact, many cars last way past the 100,000-mile mark. That being said, many foreign vehicles work very well past the 300,000-mile mark, so in general, foreign cars do tend to last longer than American-made vehicles. Again, each vehicle is different and, therefore, this may not apply to all vehicles out there.
What Cars Are 100% Made in America?
Unfortunately, finding a vehicle that is completely made in the United States, including all of its parts, is now virtually impossible, but that doesn’t mean you can’t find vehicles that are mostly made in this country. When you’re trying to buy American as much as possible, consider the following vehicles, which are now mostly made in the United States: Jeep Cherokee; Honda Odyssey, Ridgeline, Pilot, and Accord; Chevrolet Corvette, Colorado, and Camaro; Acura MDX, excluding the hybrid, and the RDX; GMC Canyon; Toyota Tundra and Avalon, excluding the hybrid; and the Ford F-150.
When it comes to cars sold in America, Tesla makes all of its cars that are sold in the United States, in their facility in Fremont, California.
Who Assembles the Most Cars in America?
While most car manufacturers use at least a few foreign-made parts, the companies that assemble the most vehicles in the United States include Tesla, which assembles all of their vehicles in the country, followed by Jeep at 89%, Cadillac at 86%, Dodge at 83%, and GMC at 80%. Number 11 on the list is Nissan, which assembles 55% of their vehicles in the United States. The remaining companies are all at under 50%.
Why Do Americans Prefer Foreign Cars?
Many Americans prefer foreign-made vehicles because they simply perceive them to be better and longer-lasting cars. Most foreign vehicles do tend to last even past the 300,000-mile mark, and since they tend to cost less than U.S.-made vehicles, many Americans prefer foreign to American-made vehicles. Whether these perceptions are completely realistic or not is subjective, but these are a few of the reasons for this phenomenon.
Why Are Cars Less Expensive in America?
While not all U.S. vehicles are less expensive than all foreign-made vehicles, the tendency for this to be the case is great. This is due to several reasons, including build quality, better fuel efficiency, and the overall costs for vehicles that are created and put together in other countries. It is also true because of the costs that are heaped onto the final price of the vehicle due to foreign cars being made overseas in the first place.
Why Are American Cars Not Sold in Europe?
While foreign vehicles are popular in the United States and have lots of customers, the same cannot be said of U.S.-made vehicles in Europe. As a general rule, people in Europe and other places do not prefer American-made vehicles over their own. This is because U.S.-made cars and trucks tend to use a lot more fuel, are much bigger than foreign vehicles and, therefore, a little more difficult to maneuver European roads and cost more, which is due to the fact that they are imported.
How Many Different Car Models Are There in the World?
Worldwide, there are roughly 160 brands of vehicles, which means the makes of these vehicles. As far as models are concerned, there are new ones popping up all the time, but as of 2020, the estimate is between 250 and 260 total models.
Is Toyota American Owned?
Toyota is a Japanese company but makes many of its vehicles in the United States. In 2016, roughly 1.3 million Toyota vehicles were made in the United States. As of now, there is a total of nine different Toyota vehicles made in the United States, and they are:
- Avalon/Avalon hybrid
- Camry/Camry hybrid
- Corolla
- Highlander/Highlander hybrid
- RAV4
- Sequoia
- Sienna
- Tacoma
- Tundra
Is Nissan an American Car?
The Nissan Motor Company makes its vehicles all over the world, but is a Japanese-based car manufacturer. Currently, Nissan is the sixth-largest automobile manufacturer, right behind General Motors, Volkswagen, Toyota, Hyundai, and Ford.
Does the Ford Family Still Own Ford?
Currently, the Ford family only partially owns the Ford Motor Company. The company was started by Henry Ford, and today, it is run in part by William Ford, Jr., who is the great-grandson of Henry Ford. William Ford, Jr., is the highest shareholder in the company. In addition, the Ford family now owns 70 million of the Class B shares of the company, giving them a full 40% of the voting power over the company’s board of directors. What this means in practical terms is that the Ford family can remain in control over the company, unless it goes bankrupt at some point.
But even if the Ford Company has to be liquidated, the Ford family members would end up with a lot more money than the company’s regular shareholders.
Is Tesla 100% Made in the USA?
Of the vehicles that the Tesla Motor Company sells in the United States, 100% of them are made here as well. This includes the Tesla Model S, Model 3, and Model X, all of which are made in their facility in Fremont, California. In fact, in the 2020 list of the top 10 American-made cars, the Tesla Model S, Model 3, and Model X vehicles came in at number 3, 4, and 9, respectively.
Does Ford Own Ferrari?
The short answer to that question is “no,” the Ford Motor Company does not own the Ferrari brand of cars. The Ford Motor Company did attempt at one point to buy Ferrari, but Enzo Ferrari knew that if they did this, they would lose control over the racing division of their company. Today, if you look at the ownership of the Ferrari Motor Company, it looks like this:
- 67.09% is owned by the public
- 22.91% is owned by Exor N.V. (the Owners of FCA)
- 10.00% is owned by Piero Ferrari
Since most of the company is “owned by the public,” this can mean one of two things: Ferrari is owned by its shareholders, or Ferrari is essentially owned by Ferrari. Either way, it means that the Ferrari car company is owned by people who care about the company and who are making decisions with the company’s reputation and brand first and foremost in their thoughts and actions.
Conclusion
Deciding between a foreign-built and American-built car means looking over information that tells you a little bit about what is considered important in each make and model you’re thinking about purchasing. It can get a bit confusing since most car companies now use at least some foreign parts, so it is hard to find vehicles completely made in the United States. Nevertheless, if your goal is to buy American and put Americans to work as much as possible, it’s good to know there are data available that can inform you of the numbers so you can make that decision for yourself.
