Every year right before the Fourth of July, Cars.com releases its American-Made Index, which looks at vehicles that have final assembly in the U.S. Then it looks at parts content, engine origins, transmission origins and U.S. manufacturing workforce to come up with a final ranking on how American your pickup truck is.
While last year’s index ranked the Ford Ranger No. 1 in terms of most-American vehicle, for 2021 we have to drop down to No. 6 on the list to find a pickup truck.
And it isn’t a Ford. Or a Ram. Or a Chevy. Nope, it’s the Honda Ridgeline, which has its final assembly in Lincoln, Ala. To find the next most-American truck on the list, you’ll have to drop down to No. 10 – and it’s the Toyota Tundra, which has its final assembly in San Antonio, Texas.
To find an American automaker’s truck on the list, you’ll have to drop down to Nos. 14 and 15 on the list for the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon, respectively, which have their final assemblies in Wentzville, Mo.
So, the only full-size pickup truck in the top 20 vehicles is the Tundra.
Where in the heck did the Ford Ranger go? It dropped all the way down to No. 28, followed the Ford F-150 at No. 29.
While I’ve included only the truck rankings below, it’s interesting to note if you look at all vehicles on the list, only eight of the top 20 are American automakers.
Which trucks make the bottom of the list? The Ram 1500 Classic, Toyota Tacoma, GMC Sierra 1500 and Chevy Silverado 1500.
Here’s this year’s rankings according to Cars.com.
| Cars.com rank | Pickup truck | Assembly location | 2020 rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Honda Ridgeline | Lincoln, Ala. | 6 |
| 10 | Toyota Tundra | San Antonio | 16 |
| 14 | Chevrolet Colorado | Wentzville, Mo. | 10 |
| 15 | GMC Canyon | Wentzville, Mo. | 11 |
| 28 | Ford Ranger | Wayne, Mich. | 1 |
| 29 | Ford F-150 | Dearborn, Mich., and Claycomo, Mo. | 44 |
| 40 | Jeep Gladiator | Toledo, Ohio | 40 |
| 42 | Ram 1500 | Sterling Heights, Mich. | 47 |
| 43 | Ford F-150 Hybrid | Dearborn, Mich., and Claycomo, Mo. | unranked |
| 51 | Nissan Titan | Canton, Miss. | 55 |
| 57 | Nissan Frontier | Canton, Miss. | unranked |
| 74 | Chevrolet Silverado 1500 | Roanoke, Ind.* | 77 |
| 80 | GMC Sierra 1500 | Roanoke, Ind.* | 85 |
| 87 | Toyota Tacoma | San Antonio* | 84 |
| 89 | Ram 1500 Classic | Warren, Mich.* | 63 |
Editor’s Note: If there’s an * that means some of those vehicles come from assembly plants outside of the U.S.
The bottom line on American pickup trucks
With the global economy, the world is a smaller place in 2021. Thus, it makes sense the waters are a bit muddy in terms of what actually comes from where. Just because an automaker has a global headquarters here, doesn’t mean their vehicles and parts are made here.
If you’re feeling patriotic and want to “buy American” this holiday weekend, you might do a little research first. The most money coming back to the U.S. in terms of labor and parts isn’t always what you assume it is.
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