Cars and Drivers

Buick Enclave Is Most American Of All Cars

Douglas A. McIntyre

Published: July 3, 2016 9:21 am

Last Updated: January 13, 2020 6:07 am

24/7 Wall St. looked at the most American cars in the U.S. based on where their parts come from. The Buick Enclave was the winner

What did we discover?

Across the nation, some forms of manufacturing — most notably computers and electronics — have surged in recent years. Broadly speaking, however, the United States is increasingly seen as an unattractive base for manufacturing production. As a result, over the past half-century, U.S. manufacturing employment has fallen precipitously.

One of the largest factors determining how much of a car’s value stays in America is the source country of the vehicle’s parts. To provide customers with this information when buying a new vehicle, congress passed the American Automobile Labeling Act in 1994. Among other stipulations, this act required manufacturers to label the percentage of parts made in the United States or Canada. All of the 50 vehicles most influential to the U.S. economy have at least half of their parts sourced in the U.S. or Canada. No car is entirely made in America.

What did we do to make the measurement?

Using seven criteria, the index estimates a car’s contribution to the U.S. economy by measuring the share of a car’s total production that is domestic in origin. The criteria include the source countries of the vehicle’s parts, where it is produced and assembled, as well as the country of origin for a car’s research and development. Three cars tie for first place as the vehicles that have the greatest positive impact on the U.S. economy. The (NYSE: GM) Buick Enclave (NYSE GM), the Chevrolet Traverse, and the GMC Acadia are the most American in origin. Roughly 90% of the cars’ research, parts, and assembly are domestic. Therefore, they have the largest positive impact on the American economy.

To identify the cars contributing the highest percentage of their value to the American economy, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed Kogod Made in America Auto Index from Kogod School of Business at American University in Washington, D.C. 2015 sales figures came from car sales tracking site GoodCarBadCar.net. Manufacturer’s suggested retail prices are from the manufacturer’s website. 2015 sales figures are the total sales for the vehicle’s model and do not only reflect its specific trim level. Starting MSRPs are from the newest model year available on the manufacturer’s website. Excluding the Dodge Ram 2500, MSRP figures also reflect starting MSRP of the base model ignoring any trim levels. Because 2016 was the first model year for the Cadillac CT6, an annual sales figure is not available.

And, at the top of the list:

Buick Enclave
> Vehicle value benefitting U.S.: 90.0%
> Parts made in U.S. or Canada: 80%
> Starting MSRP: $39,065
> 2015 unit sales: 62,081
> Car type: Mid-size crossover SUV

The winners of the contest were actually a tie:

Chevrolet Traverse
> Vehicle value benefitting U.S.: 90.0%
> Parts made in U.S. or Canada: 80%
> Starting MSRP: $28,700
> 2015 unit sales: 119,945
> Car type: Mid-size crossover SUV

3. GMC Acadia
> Vehicle value benefitting U.S.: 90.0%
> Parts made in U.S. or Canada: 80%
> Starting MSRP: $29,070
> 2015 unit sales: 96,393
> Car type: Mid-size crossover SUV

Certain manufacturers tend to have a larger impact on the economy than others. One in five cars in the top 50 is a Chevrolet, the most prevalent make of vehicle on the list. Notably, the second most prevalent manufacturer in the top 50 is Japanese company Toyota (NYSE: TM). While many of Toyota’s models are produced entirely outside of the United States, Toyota assembles six vehicles domestically with at least 65% of the parts sourced from the U.S. or Canada

Along with the rest of the list (the other 47)