American University’s Kogod School of Business released its 2015 “Made in America Auto Index” on June 2, 2015. Six General Motors models tied for the top spot, each scoring 87.5 out of 100.
The leaders
- Buick Enclave
- Cadillac CTS
- Chevrolet Corvette
- Chevrolet Traverse
- GMC Acadia
- GMC Acadia Denali
The Ford F-Series pickup, the top vehicle in the 2014 index, fell to third place after a 10-point change in its federal domestic-content score.
How the index works
Associate Professor Frank DuBois, who developed the index, ranked 332 models. The index starts with the domestic-content score required under the American Automobile Labeling Act (AALA) and adds where each automaker is headquartered and where the vehicle is assembled, researched and developed, along with where its engine, transmission and other major components are made.
DuBois said the AALA label has limits: it lumps USA and Canadian content together, lets automakers round individual parts from 70% up to 100% domestic, and can let a model with little USA content use the label of a higher-content vehicle in the same carline.
“Hopefully, it holds vehicle manufacturers accountable for the claims they make in marketing to U.S. consumers,” DuBois said.
Later that month, Cars.com’s index, which uses different criteria, ranked the Toyota Camry first (our coverage). GM crossovers led the Kogod index again in 2017 (our coverage).
Source & credit
Source: American University Kogod School of Business, via EurekAlert!: “Six GM cars take the lead in 2015 Kogod Made in America Auto Index”, June 2, 2015.