American Car Brands - The Complete List - Kiến Thức Cho Người lao Động Việt Nam

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What Makes an American Car Brand?

Understanding which car brands are “made in America” is has been complex to decipher.

The majority of people find automakers such as Chrysler, Ford, General Motors to be staples of the American car market. But over the last century, there have been many different brands owned or operated by these large companies. Among these three, plenty of foreign investment has changed the nationality of the companies.

And American brands have been assembled outside of the United States for decades, while “imports” have also been built and sold in the country.

There are several factors to whether a car brand is an American product. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) requires that automobile manufacturers track where a vehicle’s parts are sourced and assembled, including the country where the engine and transmission were put together before being installed in the car.

NHTSA also requires that car manufacturers present what countries the engine and transmission parts come from. Automakers must then display the origin information on all of their vehicle’s window stickers.

To take origin information a step further, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) from 1994 required that each vehicle’s sticker reflect the percentage of North American parts used on each car.

However, it did not state that each car manufacturer had to distinguish how much the US and Canada contribute to that total. That leaves telling what percentage of parts in a new vehicle is solely American nearly impossible.

Here is a rundown of American automakers, American brands, where the models are really made, and other cars made in the US from foreign brands. This list will help decode some confusion if you want to purchase an American car, minivan, SUV, or truck. It also sheds light on some vehicles from companies based in other countries but are assembled in the US for consumers.

General Motors Brands:

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William C. Durant founded General Motors in 1908, which was the first significant example of many American car brands united by one parent company.

In much of the 20th century, its core lineup in the US was Chevrolet, Pontiac, GMC, Oldsmobile, Buick, and Cadillac. However, the 2000s saw the discontinuation of popular General Motor brands such as Oldsmobile (2004) and Pontiac (2009). Brads created or acquired over the years also included Saturn, Hummer, Saab, Opel, and Holden — all of which were eventually discontinued or sold off.

Today, GM makes up many brands listed below and continues to manufacture vehicles as an American-based company in Detroit, the city where General Motors’ headquarters has been since its conception.

China was the largest single target market for General Motors in 2020, helping keep the brand alive following declaring Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2009 and receiving government-backed loans to restructure. General Motors weathered many storms to remain an American-based company and proudly produces some of the most popular pickup trucks and crossover SUVs on the market today.

Buick

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Buick was founded on May 19, 1903, in Detroit by David Dunbar Buick. General Motors acquired it in 1908. GM shut down the former Buick main manufacturing plant in Flint in 2010, where Buick had been producing vehicles, parts, and powertrains for a century. China has become its most popular market, but Buick is still part of the core US GM lineup. However, some models have been sourced from places such as China, Germany, and South Korea in recent years.

It currently sells the following models in the US:

Enclave (made in the US)
Envision (made in China)
Encore GX (made in South Korea)
Encore (made in South Korea)

Cadillac

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Cadillac came into existence on August 22, 1902, in Detroit. It defined the luxury car segment for years and is still a byword for American luxury as it expanded its lineup over the decades. Henry M. Leland and William Murphy founded Cadillac.

It sells the following models in the US in 2021, all assembled in the country:

CT4
CT5
Escalade
XT4
XT5
XT6

Chevrolet

In Detroit (see a trend?), Chevrolet was founded on November 3, 1911, by Louis Chevrolet, William C. Durant, Samuel McLaughlin, Arthur Chevrolet, Edwin R. Campbell, and William Little. Chevrolet was become known in short as “Chevy” and is an American car company under the parent company General Motors.
Chevy is most known for its pickup trucks and sports cars, although it used to offer a long line of vehicles from countries such as Australia and South Korea. It also is GM’s only brand to offer an all-electric vehicle this year.

The 2021 Chevy models consist of cars primarily made in North America:

Colorado
Camaro
Corvette
Spark (South Korea)
Malibu
Trax (South Korea)
Trailblazer (South Korea)
Equinox (Canada, Mexico)
Blazer (Mexico)
Traverse
Tahoe
Silverado
Suburban
Bolt EV

GMC

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GMC is an American truck and SUV brand founded July 22, 1911. It also does, however, currently also produce vans and light-duty trucks. Historically GMC had fire trucks, ambulances, heavy-duty trucks, military vehicles, motorhomes, transit buses, and medium-duty trucks.

While its dealers are aligned with Buick, GMC’s models are most closely tied to Chevrolet’s vehicles:

Acadia
Canyon
Savana
Sierra (US, Mexico)
Yukon
Terrain (Mexico)
Hummer EV (in 2022)

Ford Motor Company:

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Henry Ford, along with 11 other investors, founded the Ford Motor Company in 1903. In 1919 Ford was reincorporated, transferring full ownership of Ford Motor Company to Henry Ford, his wife, and son. Today Ford manufacturers commercial vehicles, sports cars, pickup trucks, minivans, and even a supercar.

Ford is headquartered in Dearborn, near Detroit, and is also a brand and parent of Lincoln. In 2008, Ford was a part of the “Big Three” emergency financial aid bill put passed by the federal government, but the automaker did not end up taking financial aid or going into reorganization.

Henry Ford is recognized as the founder of the modern-day moving assembly line for cars, and Ford utilized this system to produce his first mass-produced vehicle, the Ford Model T.

One of the most popular vehicles Ford developed was the Ford Mustang. The first Mustang was introduced in 1964, in continuous production since. Ford also has the best-selling vehicle in the automotive industry for the last 40 years, the F-Series pickup trucks. The company also has a division devoted to racing and its supercar. The Ford GT was built to win the 24 hour Le Mans race and beat the Italian-owned car brand Ferrari, which the company accomplished in 1966.

Ford

The Ford brand started in 1903 and competes with Chevrolet, among other brands such as Toyota and Honda. Below are the Ford models in 2021, which are now mainly manufactured in North America.

It recently took the step of eliminating all of the cars in its lineup other than the Mustang, leaving only trucks and SUVs:

Mustang
Mustang Mach-E (Mexico)
Ecosport (India)
Escape
Bronco
Bronco Sport (Mexico)
Edge (Canada)
Expedition
Ranger
E-Series
F-Series (US, Mexico)
Super Duty
Transit

Lincoln

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Lincoln is the luxury brand of Ford Motor Company, offering luxury vehicles in almost every vehicle category, including sedans, trucks, and SUVs. Lincoln was launched in August 1917 in Dearborn by Henry M. Leland to compete directly with Cadilac for the best American-made luxury option. Ford acquired the failing car brand in 1922, named after President Abraham Lincoln. It was often tied to the Mercury brand until that marque’s demise in 2010.

While Lincoln still sells sedans in China, its US lineup is all SUVs from 2021:

Navigator
Aviator
Nautilus (Canada)
Corsair

Stellantis:

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Stellantis is a company created in 2021 from the merger of PSA Group of France and Italian-American known as Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA), headquartered in Switzerland. PSA is the parent of Peugeot and Citroen brands, and Opel and Vauxhall acquired from GM in 2017.

But FCA was created following the former Chrysler LLC’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy and government bailout and subsequent takeover by Fiat of Italy. Chrysler is the American outpost, starting in 1925 by Walter P. Chrysler.

Over the years, Chrysler has represented storied brands such as Plymouth, Dodge, and DeSoto, through various business deals. While Stellantis markets seven of its brands in the US this year, four represent the American side of the company.

Chrysler

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The Chrysler Corporation was founded on June 6, 1925, by Walter Chrysler and evolved into one of the major American auto companies. The Chrysler brand has sat in various places in the company’s hierarchy.

But in 2021, it effectively makes only a large sedan and some minivans, all made in Canada:

Pacifica
Voyager
300

Dodge

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Dodge was founded in 1914 by the Dodge brothers, Horace Elgin Dodge and John Francis Dodge. Dodge was originally a supplier of parts and assemblies for Detriot-based automakers but started to branch out into their automotive design. By 1928 Dodge sold out to Chrysler, when the founding brothers died in 1920. For the first couple generations, Dodge branded vehicles mainly consisted of trucks and full-sized passenger cars.

Dodge developed muscle cars, sports cars, and even the Viper throughout the years. It’s a brand considered an American car brand, and its long association with V8s and muscle cars is reflected in that. But Dodge is also a pioneer of other vehicles. Still, the lineup has been culled over the years, with trucks spun off into a separate division (see below).

It relies on just three models for 2021, two of which are assembled in Canada:

Challenger (Canada)
Charger (Canada)
Durango

Ram Trucks

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Between 1980 and 2010, the Ram name was applied to a line of Dodge pickup trucks. The Dodge brand used the rams-head badge on specific truck models as early as 1933, but Ram was not its sub-brand until 2011, making only pickups and commercial vans. While the trucks were designed before Fiat became involved, the vans are previous Italian designs.

Today’s Ram lineup is:

Ram 1500 (US, Mexico)
Ram 1500 Classic (US, Mexico)
Ram 2500/3500 Heavy Duty (US, Mexico)
ProMaster (Mexico)
ProMaster City (Turkey)

Jeep

Jeep has a heritage as an American car brand that dates back to 1941. The Willys-Jeep was created out of necessity with the federal government’s desire for a dedicated military vehicle and accelerated by the events of World War II. Since then, the company was bought and sold and developed a global line of SUVs and a pickup.

Today’s Jeep lineup consists of:

Grand Cherokee
Wrangler
Cherokee
Renegade (Italy)
Compass (Mexico)
Gladiator

Tesla:

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Electric cars existed before Tesla was founded in 2003, but the car brand quickly rose to the top of the electric car game. It may not have been the first carmaker to offer an electric car, but they are the first brand to be successful at marketing an electric vehicle people want to drive. Tesla is based in California, and the company offers more than just electric vehicles.

Tesla’s current products include electric cars, battery energy storage from home to grid-scale, solar panels, and solar roof tiles. It is the only volume American-based producing its current lineup entirely in the US at its Fremont, California plant. However, it now has other plants to build products for global markets.

The company was founded by Elon Musk, Martin Eberhard, JB Straubel, Marc Tarpenning, and Ian Wright. Elon Musk is Tesla’s CEO and most closely associated with the brand, despite his ventures into space and solar.

The following list is all of Tesla’s current vehicle offerings:

Model 3
Model Y
Model S
Model X

Car Brands With Manufacturing Plants In The United States

The following list consists of car brands not headquartered in the United States but have manufacturing plants in the United States and build specific models of their vehicles in America for the US market.

Acura

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