You’re undoubtedly already aware with Detroit’s Big Three automakers. All three automakers—Ford, General Motors, and Fiat Chrysler—manufacture vehicles in the lower 48 states. However, a large number of foreign automakers also produce vehicles in the contiguous United States. Here in the United States, vehicle manufacturers like Acura, Honda, Toyota, BMW, and Subaru are just a few examples.
Here are just a few that we think could surprise you because there are too many American-made, foreign-brand vehicles to list fully. Despite the fact that none of these models have American-made emblems, they are all American-made. This list may assist you extend your options if that is a factor in your decision to purchase a car.
In This Article...
Acura NSX
Let’s begin with what might be the biggest surprise of all. The top-of-the-line hybrid supercar from Acura, the NSX, is both American-designed and -made. The Performance Manufacturing Center (PMC) in Marysville, Ohio, where Acura manufactures its vehicles, is where the NSX is produced. The unfinished automobiles are moved around the facility on carts by a number of specialized experts; there are no assembly lines present, and the majority of the labor is done by hand.
Acura TLX
The American-built Acura TLX car is also produced in Marysville, Ohio, not too far from where the NSX is assembled. These days, Acura is paying closer attention to the performance of its lineup, and the TLX will soon receive the PMC treatment. a hand-built Japanese sedan made in Ohio. What a cool thing!
Honda Pilot
The Honda Pilot, like its little sibling, is made in the United States. In Lincoln, Alabama, the Pilot and the Odyssey minivan are both produced. The Pilot is largely targeted at North American consumers, and given how much Americans adore SUVs, the fact that the Pilot is produced in Alabama only makes sense.
Honda Ridgeline
It should come as no surprise that the Honda Ridgeline, along with sibling Japanese trucks the Toyota Tacoma and Tundra, are made in the United States given that trucks are a quintessentially American class of car. The Ridgeline and its SUV twin, the Pilot, are produced in the same Lincoln facility. Since the Ridgeline’s debut in 2006, the two have been produced side by side.
Subaru Ascent
The largest Subaru to date is the Ascent. It is the brand’s most recent three-row, full-size SUV. Along with several other Subaru models, it is produced in Lafayette, Indiana. The Ascent has full-time AWD and receives a five-star safety rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, just like the Subies that came before it. The Ascent, however, has eight seats, unlike the earlier Subies.
Toyota Camry
The Camry was the most American car you could buy in the early 2010s. Although Jeep currently holds that title, the Camry is still produced in the United States. The Camry has been manufactured at the Toyota Motor Manufacturing facility in Georgetown, Kentucky, since 1988.
Exploring Honda: Made-in-America Offerings From a Leading Japanese Manufacturer
Did you know that many Honda goods are produced in America? Honda is well-known throughout the world as a top Japanese automaker. Honda is committed to helping the automotive labor market by giving Americans jobs.
In reality, Honda has the most enduring manufacturing presence in the United States among all foreign automakers, boosting the economy of the country through manufacturing, R&D, finance, and other activities. You support American jobs when you buy a Honda vehicle.
Want to know more? We invite you to join us on a tour of Honda’s patriotic red, white, and blue presence in the United States. You might be shocked by what Honda is doing here in the United States!
U.S. Employment
Over the years, Honda has had a considerable impact on the American labor market, creating tens of thousands of employment and making significant economic contributions through the wages it pays to American workers. In fact, Honda paid out over $2.2 billion in payroll costs for employees in the United States in 2015. 29,500 people work directly for Honda in the United States, with more than 70% of those people employed in the Honda company’s manufacturing division. Honda automobile, power sports, and power equipment dealerships provide roughly 158,000 jobs across the nation.
American Made
Did you know that more than 99 percent of Honda and Acura automobiles sold in the United States in 2015 were produced right here in North America? Since 1982, around 22.4 million Honda and Acura cars have been built in the United States. Honda now has an amazing 12 manufacturing facilities here, with the 12th one opening in Marysville, Ohio, in 2016 to produce the Acura NSX, which is the only supercar made in the country.
Research and Development
Honda also runs 14 research and development sites in the United States and has made investments totaling roughly $850 million there. These American-based facilities handle every step of developing new products.
28 of the vehicle and light truck models built for the Honda and Acura brands since 1991 have been studied, designed, and created here in the United States.
A domestic import automobile is what?
Your “import” vehicle may have been produced here in the country, by American employees. And it’s possible that the “domestic” model your neighbor recently purchased was made by non-American labor outside of the United States. Or, to add even more confusion, it might have been constructed in both locations.
What kind of automobiles are deemed domestic?
Technically, any vehicle produced by an American automaker qualifies as a domestic vehicle. These automakers are referred to as “American car firms” and have their corporate headquarters in the USA.
Because they were manufactured in the United States and then marketed there, they were once known as domestic vehicles (in other words, domestically made and sold). The boundaries are a little hazy now. Later, I’ll expand more on that.
The truth is that numerous automakers have had their headquarters relocated, sold, or combined. For instance, Stellantis, a Dutch company with its headquarters in Hoofddorp, owns Jeep, Mopar, RAM, as well as some cars for the European market like Citroen, Fiat, Lancia, etc.
List of Domestic Car Manufacturers
To be explicit, the following is a list of the largest domestic automakers today:
- Cadillac
- Ford
- Dodge
- GMC
- Chrysler
- Buick
- Lincoln
- Jeep
- Chevrolet
- RAM
There are over 90 other domestic automakers, but many of them aren’t readily available to regular folks like you and me. Others are specialized companies that exclusively produce a particular car model. For the purposes of this discussion, the top 10 should be understood.
What sort of vehicle is deemed foreign?
In the strictest sense, a foreign car is one that has had its components created and put together outside of the nation. The cost of many foreign cars is higher than that of American-made vehicles. It is frequently more expensive to ship an assembled car than it is to ship the individual parts and assemble the vehicle locally.
What kinds of automobiles are foreign?
Since then, Japanese automakers have enjoyed widespread respect and account for a sizable portion of all American vehicles.
- Acura. The Honda brand might have been used to package Acura, but given its prominence, it wouldn’t have been fair.
- Honda.
- Infiniti.
- Lexus.
- Mazda.
- Mitsubishi.
- Nissan.
- Subaru.
Is Ford an American-made car?
Ford may have begun as a home corporation, but it now caters to the needs of other nations. More than half of their automobiles are now produced and sold outside of the US.
Is Toyota seen as a foreign business?
References and footnotes From April 1, 2020, to March 31, 2021, is the fiscal year (FY21). References:[1][2]
Toyota Motor Corporation, also known simply as Toyota, is a multinational car manufacturer with headquarters in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan (Japanese:, Hepburn: Toyota Jidsha kabushikigaisha, IPA: [tojota], English: /tjot/). Kiichiro Toyoda established it, and it became a corporation on August 28, 1937. (1937-08-28). One of the biggest automakers in the world, Toyota produces around 10 million automobiles annually.
The business was initially established as a subsidiary of Toyota Industries, a manufacturer of machines that Kiichiro Toyoda’s father, Sakichi Toyoda, created. The Toyota Group, one of the biggest conglomerates in the world, now includes both businesses. The firm created its first product, the Type A engine, in 1934 while it was still a division of Toyota Industries, and its first passenger automobile, the Toyota AA, in 1936.
Following World War II, Toyota benefited from Japan’s alliance with the US by studying American automakers and other businesses. This allowed Toyota to develop The Toyota Way (a management philosophy) and the Toyota Production System (a lean manufacturing technique), which helped the small business grow into an industry leader and became the focus of numerous academic studies.
The Toyota Corolla, the all-time best-selling car in the world, was developed in the 1960s as a result of Toyota taking advantage of a rapidly expanding Japanese middle class to sell automobiles to. By December 2020[update], Toyota would have become one of the largest automakers in the world, the largest firm in Japan, and the ninth-largest company in the world by revenue thanks to the rising economy’s funding of a foreign expansion. In 2012, when it announced the production of its 200 millionth vehicle, Toyota made history by becoming the first automaker in the world to create more than 10 million automobiles annually.
Since the 1997 launch of the Toyota Prius, Toyota has received recognition for being a pioneer in the creation and marketing of more fuel-efficient hybrid electric vehicles. The business now offers more than 40 different hybrid car models for sale worldwide. However, more recently, the business has also been charged of greenwashing due to its skepticism of fully electric vehicles and its focus on the creation of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, such the Toyota Mirai, a more expensive technology that has lagged well behind electric batteries.
Daihatsu, Hino, Lexus, Ranz, and the company’s own Toyota are the five brands under which Toyota Motor Corporation manufactures automobiles. The company also owns stakes in vehicle manufacturing joint-ventures in China (GAC Toyota and FAW Toyota), the Czech Republic (TPCA), India (Toyota Kirloskar), and the United States. It also owns 20% of Subaru Corporation, 5.1% of Mazda, 4.9% of Suzuki, 4.6% of Isuzu, 3.8% of Yamaha Motor Corporation, 2.8% of Panasonic, and 4.9% of Suzuki (MTMUS).
Which automobiles are imported?
When it comes to “import cars,” there is some ambiguity. No, these vehicles are not need to arrive at your front door from a ship in Japan in order to qualify as imports. A common misconception is that a car must have the steering wheel on the other side in order to be considered an import.
In actuality, every automobile that isn’t produced by an American automaker is regarded as an import. A few of the major players are businesses like:
- VW
- Audi
- Toyota
- Honda
- Porsche
- Nissan
- Mercedes-Benz
- Hyundai
- BMW
- Subaru
It’s an import car if the company’s corporate headquarters and the majority of its operations are located outside of America.
Is Mazda a domestic or import brand?
Because of this, the era of arguing that import cars are superior to US cars is almost over.
Foreign investors are not permitted to own Japanese enterprises, but they are permitted to invest up to a specific sum. I believe it to be 40% or less, although I could be mistaken.