Ford Mustang GT tops Made in America index

For the second consecutive year, a Ford Motor Co. vehicle has topped an index that ranks how much U.S. content cars contain.

The Ford Mustang 5.0-liter GT was ranked first on the 2021 Kogod Made in America Auto Index, a list now in its ninth year that was created by Frank DuBois, an associate professor and global supply chain expert at American University's Kogod School of Business. The index, according to a news release, is intended to serve as a tool for consumers "interested in learning the amount of U.S. content in their cars and the extent to which their purchase decisions impact the economy."

Overall, the index contains 98 vehicles from model year 2021. Twenty-one vehicles rank in the top 10 in terms of most U.S. content, due to several ties and the inclusion of multiple versions of the same model.

The 2021 Mustang GT equipped with a manual transmission and 5.0-liter engine features 88.5% domestic content, according to the index. It replaces the Ford Ranger, a midsize truck, which ranked No. 1 in 2020 but dropped to No. 16 this year due to a reduction in U.S. and Canadian content.  

In second place is General Motors Co.'s Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, with 86% domestic content.

Tesla, Inc.'s Model 3 ranked No. 3 on the list with 82.5% domestic content. Ford's new Bronco SUV came in fourth with 80.6%. And tying for fifth place, with 80% domestic content, were the Ford Expedition, the gas engine-equipped Chevy Colorado, the gas engine-equipped GMC Canyon, and Tesla's Model S and Y. Diesel engine-equipped versions of the Canyon and Colorado were ranked No. 22 because they contain a foreign-sourced engine.

The Jeep Cherokee ranked sixth, while the automatic transmission version of the Chevy Camaro came in at No. 7.

Sharing the No. 8 spot were the Ford F-150 and the Tesla Model X. Honda's Ridgeline, Odyssey, Pilot and Passport models tied for the No. 9 spot. And the Ram 1500 came in at 10th, along with two more Mustangs: the automatic 5.0-liter and 2.3-liter EcoBoost versions.

Looking at the average total domestic content for cars assembled in the U.S., Tesla has an average of about 81%, while GM and Ford average about 70%, according to the research. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, Honda, Hyundai, Kia and Toyota average between 65% and 70%. At the lower end, BMW and Volvo average about 35% and 30%, respectively.

The index notes that although the total domestic content for cars assembled in the U.S. has been relatively consistent over time, Daimler and Subaru saw "significant" drops in their average U.S. content, which the study suggests could be the results of pandemic-related supply chain issues.

The full index is available at https://kogod.american.edu/autoindex/2021. 

jgrzelewski@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @JGrzelewski