Lucas Bell 
Ford is one of the great American success stories. Standing proud as the largest family-owned company in the world, there’s no denying their part in our nation’s history and culture. The Blue Oval has just launched their Built for America campaign to remind us of this, highlighting their commitment to American manufacturing. Backing up these new ad spots, the Ford Ranger has just captured the top spot in the 2020 Made in America Auto Index.
American University’s Kogod School of Business is responsible for compiling the Made in America Auto Index, which is based on a number of different parameters. Metrics studied include vehicle assembly location, percentage of U.S. and Canadian-sourced parts, source of the engine and transmission, and labor. The study also looks at where money related to profit and R&D ends up, which ends up hurting the rankings for automakers like Honda and Volkswagen.
The Ford Ranger received a domestic score of 85 for the 2020 model year, up from just 61 last year. This increase is a result of Ford’s commitment to source more parts for the mid-size truck from the United States. When the Ranger first launched, all of the 2.3L EcoBoost engines were being built with a majority of their parts coming from Mexico. As 2019 progressed however, more and more parts were being sourced domestically from the Cleveland Engine Plant in Ohio. This change was enough to boost the truck’s score ahead of the second place automatic-equipped Chevrolet Camaro.
Ford’s Chief Manufacturing and Labor Affairs Officer Gary Johnson told MC&T that Ford truck customers care about the fact that their vehicles are built in the States. That is a sentiment that the company appears to share, as they build and sell more full-size trucks in the U.S. than any other automaker. In fact, a Boston Consulting Group report on Ford’s Economic Impact states that Ford is responsible for one in five vehicles assembled in the US. That’s quite a lot.
So then Ford appears to be putting their money where their mouth is when it comes to American manufacturing. Whether you love the brand or hate them, we’re not sure anyone can be upset about that. You can view the entire set of results for the 2020 Made in America Auto Index here.
