The All-American Car

I have family in Michigan and although I've visited them many times, I've never driven my own vehicle there. Which is probably good, since the cars I've owned were a Volkswagen and two Toyotas (Although I lived there for a couple months during an internship, I drove the family station wagon, an Oldsmobile). Cars with those nameplates aren't frowned upon in the state whose history is tied to automobile manufacturing, but they aren't the best way to make new friends. Plus, my family members would have to live there after I'd gone, and how long would it take them to live down being related to someone who drove one of those cars?

But according to this item from Cars.com, I should actually have no problem with my Toyota nameplate, because the most American of all cars sold in the U.S. today is...the Toyota Camry. The list ranks cars by percentage of parts made or assembled in the U.S. It also features the location of the plant where final assembly takes place, and only one of the Top 10 most American cars gets put together in Michigan. The Ford F-150 takes shape at two plants, and one of them is in Dearborn.

In fact, Toyota holds four of the top 10 spots and Honda a fifth. GM has three and Ford two, leaving Chrysler out of the running. The article also explores the issue of rating "American-made-ness" by this metric, called "domestic content," and some of the problems it poses.

All I know is that it's going to sound weird to say, "As American as baseball, apple pie, hot dogs and Toyota Camry."

(H/T Dustbury)