Mustang GT sits atop the American-made auto index

Researchers at the Kogod School of Business have released the 2021 version of the American Auto Index. The American Auto Index looks at which vehicles sold in the US have the most domestic content in their construction. Sitting at the top of last year's list was the Ford Ranger.

The Ford Ranger is no longer at the top of the list; it sits in 16th place. That fall for the Ranger was due to a reduction in content made in North America from 70 percent last year to 45 percent this year. However, Ford still maintains the top spot in the 2021 version of the index, but the car sitting at the top is the Ford Mustang GT with the 5.0-liter V-8 engine.

The Mustang GT has 88.5 percent domestic content when fitted with the manual transmission. The Chevrolet Corvette Stingray featuring 72 percent of its components made in the US or Canada, sits in the second-place spot. Several Tesla models tied for third place, including the Model 3 Long Range, Model 3 Standard Range, and Model 3 Performance, all featuring 65 percent domestic content.

The fourth and fifth place spots go to Ford vehicles, with the 2.7-liter Bronco featuring 61 percent domestic parts content, while in fifth place, the Expedition has 60 percent domestic parts content. Three other vehicles tied with Ford for the fifth-place spot, including the Chevrolet Colorado pickup with the gasoline engine featuring the same 60 percent parts content. GMC's Canyon with the gas engine also has 60 percent domestic content, and the Tesla Model S features the same 60 percent domestic parts content.

While American automakers are high in the rankings, some Japanese automakers are also making the list. For example, Honda has overall total domestic content rankings second only to GM.