Although the final assembly location of a vehicle is an important component of the index, the annual report also take into consideration several other factors, including percentage of domestic parts and American sales volume.
Patrick Olsen, Editor in Chief at Cars.com, explained why sales volume is an important aspect of the index.
"U.S. sales are a component of our index for a number of reasons," said Olsen. "For one thing, it's safe to say that the more a vehicle sells, the more U.S. workers are involved in production and delivery of the vehicle and the more U.S. dealers are profiting. Additionally, we think it's valid to give credit for how American buyers embrace a vehicle."
Toyota, Honda and General Motors accounted for most of the vehicles in the top 10, with the trio occupying a total of eight spots. As previously mentioned, Ford held one spot while the Jeep Liberty made its first appearance in the top 10 in the No. eight position.
Photos by Andrew Ganz.
