American Cars That Are Not Very American At All

The Cascada is another Opel car, but Buick's first convertible since the almost instantly forgettable Reatta and it's also made in Poland. Despite that, it is notable for being designed by Andrew Dyson, the man behind the Chrysler Crossfire's looks, and Elizabeth Wetzel as Buick's head of interior design. We're fans of the Cascada, but sadly it looks like it will come to an end this summer.

The Ecosport has been around since 2003 and originally built in Brazil, but the second generation is also built in India, Thailand, Russia, and Romania for the world market, and was developed at the Ford Brazil Development Center. For the US market, the Ecosport is built in Ford India's Chennai plant.

The Fiesta is truly a world car and started off being built in Cologne, Germany and Dunton, a small town in Essex, England in the 1970s. Since then, it's been built all over the world for many different markets. Currently, it's built in Cuautitlán-Izcalli, Mexico, for the North American market.

While the Cherokee may be very much American made, the Compass is only 17% so. Jeep's pint-size slice of its own off-roading market was assembled in Illinois but has since moved to Toluca, Mexico. It's also manufactured in Brazil and India for other markets.

This one is definitely a curveball as the Ford GT is actually assembled in Ontario, Canada, and the skunkworks style development started in Dearborn, Michigan. Our assumption is that it's in the cost of materials and parts as well outside development of specialized engineering and the lack of profit from selling such a low production model that bring the percentage down.

Final assembly of the Chevy Bolt happens in Detroit, but the battery, drivetrain, HVAC, instruments, and entertainment systems are all assembled in South Korea. Development happened here in America, and the 50 prototypes were hand built at the General Motors Proving Grounds in Milford, Michigan before traveling around the world for testing. The $160 million upgrades to the Ohio plant will have helped up the Bolt in points However, the Bolt has been produced at a loss.

It's specifically the Sport, Trailhawk, and Latitude 4x4 models that drop in at 22%. The Renegade is an interesting one as it's on the FCA Small/Wide 4x4 platform developed in Turin, Italy. Hence, the Fiat 500 is a close relative of the Renegade and it's assembled in Melfi, Italy.

The Regal is another Buick car that's based on an Opel and, in this case, it's the Insignia. It was designed and developed in Germany, but the Buick version sells well in China, where it's also assembled. We don't get the Chinese built models though. Instead, we get the ones exported here from Opel in Rüsselsheim, Germany.

Like its Ford Fusion sibling, the MKZ is manufactured at Ford's Hermosillo Stamping & Assembly plant in Sonora, Mexico and Flat Rock Assembly Plant, Michigan. It is a rebadged Fusion, and the second generation design was led by Ford of Europe. However, because it was designed under Ford's One-Car strategy as a world car, the lead designer was based in Detroit with support from Ford of Europe's studios in Germany and the United Kingdom. Curiously, the lowest percentage given for Ford Fusion models is 30%

The Journey is a global vehicle from Dodge, however, it's only manufactured in Toluca, Mexico. It's now Dodge's smallest SUV, although it's mainly sold to members of the minivan demographic that are clearly in denial.

Cadillac's full-size luxury car is actually built in Detroit, and only the Chinese version is built in China. GM is planning to move production from the Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly plant in January 2020 when it closes. There was confusion over whether the CT6 would end completely then, but GM is on record saying that won't be the case now, and a spokesperson made it clear importing them from China is not desirable. It seems to be on borrowed time though as engine options keep getting dropped.