Ford is officially the auto industry leader in US production volume, exports, and hourly autoworker employment for the fifth year in a row, according to data released by S&P Global Mobility. Almost 80% of the vehicles the Blue Oval sells in America are made in America by American workers.

Last year, a grand total of 1.8 million vehicles were built in the US which was 130,000 more units compared to its nearest competitor. And, not surprisingly, the hot-selling F-Series is included in this figure. There are currently three plants building these trucks, located in Michigan, Missouri, and Kentucky. Other models assembled in the US include the Explorer (Illinois) and Escape (Kentucky).

Also last year, Ford exported over 260,000 US-built vehicles, including the F-150 and Mustang. The data further confirms that the export figure is 65,000 units more than Ford's closest competitor. The Blue Oval estimates that 1 in 7 vehicles it builds in America is being exported.

"Ford is the most American of all car companies. It is because of our belief in our workforce and in America that we build more vehicles and have more hourly employees here than other companies," said Executive Chairman Bill Ford. "As we pivot to an EV future, we are proud to continue to invest in America."

Obviously, Ford wants to retain this "most American" carmaker status for years to come by already laying the groundwork for additional production and new jobs. Another 2,000 jobs or so are coming to three plants in Michigan, including the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center that's home to the F-150 Lightning. And speaking of electric trucks, a total of 6,000 jobs are coming to Blue Oval City in Tennessee to build the next-generation EV truck.

Another 7,500 jobs are being added to two new battery plants in Kentucky and Michigan. A third shift was recently added at the Kansas City Assembly Plant in order to boost production of the Transit van. The E-Transit EV van began production just last week at that facility as well. The press release did not provide data regarding US assembly for other automakers, but this information is something rivals like General Motors and Stellantis should take note of.

Other automakers with a large US production presence include BMW, Honda, Hyundai, and Toyota. All four are, of course, foreign brands so it wouldn't be completely fair to compare their respective output figures to Ford's. Still, their growing US manufacturing presence is very much welcomed. But unlike those carmakers' factory employees, Ford's plant workers are unionized.

"Ford has bet on American workers, including the UAW, more than any other automaker," said CEO Jim Farley. "This commitment combined with great product and innovation, has earned us the loyalty of customers and returned Ford to America's best-selling brand so far this year. We could make different decisions - as many others have done to reduce costs - but Ford is different. We will find ways to be lean and competitive while investing in our home market."

One critical thing not mentioned in the press release is that Ford also had the highest recall rate compared to any other automaker last year with 65 recalls affecting over 8.6 million vehicles. In 2021, there were 53 recalls for nearly 5.4 million vehicles. CEO Farley is well aware of this problem and has promised steps are being taken to correct this. Time will tell.

Issues regarding reported dysfunctional production that has eaten into profits are still being resolved but Ford did not provide a status update.