A vehicle produced in Belvidere has topped a new list of cars with the most American content.
Fiat Chrysler’s Jeep Cherokee came in at number one on the list created by Cars.com. The website looked at which cars were manufactured in America, had the most American parts, and support the most American factory jobs.
Four of the top ten cars on the list are made by foreign-based companies. But Cars.com’s executive director, Joe Wiesenfelder, said, these days, all manufacturers are global.
“And even what you consider an American brand might import vehicles from across the border," he said. "Whereas what might at one time been considered an import brand is building the cars here in the U.S.”
Wiesenfelder sees the list as a service for someone who’s looking at what car to buy.
“If they’re interested in contributing to the U.S. economy," he said, "they might see that it’s on the American-Made Index and say, ‘well, that’s one more count in its favor.’”
Two other cars produced in Illinois made the top ten. The Ford Taurus, which is built in Chicago, came in at number four on the list. The Ford Explorer, also made in Chicago, came in at number eight.
The Honda Odyssey, Ridgeline and Pilot, all made in Lincoln, Alabama, took the second, third and sixth spots on the list. The Chevrolet Volt, made in Detroit was ranked fifth, with the Acura MDX (East Liberty, Ohio) seventh, the Ford F-150 (Claycomo, Missouri and Dearborn, Michigan) ninth and the Chevrolet Corvette, made in Bowling Green, Kentucky at number ten.
