10 Best Union-Made Cars for 2017

2016 Chevrolet Camaro three models ・ Photo by Chevrolet

With Labor Day quickly approaching, Autobytel has decided to honor the holiday in an appropriately automotive fashion: by focusing on 10 great union-made cars. Selected from the official “2017 UAW Union-Built Vehicle Guide,” most of these cars are built right here in the United States, too. And to be sure, the skilled teammates at the United Auto Workers are responsible for an impressive range of vehicles, including everything from high-efficiency hybrids, to high-performance sports cars, to high-end luxury sedans. What you won’t find on the list, however, are any vehicles from foreign brands. True, there are some foreign automakers with manufacturing facilities here, and some that have unions in other countries, but none have unionized operations in the United States — at least not yet.

2017 Buick LaCrosse

The 2017 Buick LaCrosse is one of the union-made cars on the more premium end of the spectrum. In fact, this full-size sedan — which is all-new for 2017 — even showcases available front seats with a power lumbar massage functionality. Those seats can be heated and ventilated as well, of course, and surfaced in perforated leather so that they’re particularly soft to the touch. The LaCrosse also can furnish a heated and leather-wrapped steering wheel, a mobile Wi-Fi hotspot, Android Auto/Apple CarPlay smartphone integration, and wireless device charging. Helping fill out the LaCrosse options menu: High-tech driver-assistance measures and a sophisticated dual-clutch all-wheel-drive system that can split torque between the individual rear wheels for optimum grip.

Photo by General Motors

2017 Cadillac CT6

For true flagship luxury in a union-made car, we present the 2017 Cadillac CT6. From its “Indirect Fire” LED exterior lighting to its 22-way power adjustable and power-massaging front seats, the CT6 features a broad array of ultra-premium cues and technological innovations. Another case in point: The car’s available Rear Camera Mirror, which replaces the traditional rearview mirror with a live video feed from a rear-facing camera — for a 300-percent larger field of view. That’s particularly handy when you’re leaving behind traffic with the car’s optional 404-hp twin-turbo V6 engine. Also available are a comprehensive bundle of active safety technologies, plus infotainment resources such as mobile Wi-Fi, Android Auto/Apple CarPlay, wireless charging, and a 34-speaker Bose Panaray audio system.

Photo by General Motors

2017 Chevrolet Bolt

Next, the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt shows how union-made cars are fueling the EV revolution. The all-electric Bolt comes standard with an anxiety-free, all-electric propulsion system that has an EPA-certified driving range of 238 miles on a single charge. As for the charging process, owners can “top off” with 90 miles of range in as few as 30 minutes with the car’s available DC fast charger. But even the standard 240-volt charger can enable 50 miles of range in two hours. Naturally, the Bowtie brand matches that high-tech powertrain with plenty of infotainment and driver-assistance technology, including a 10.2-inch touchscreen, mobile Wi-Fi, Android Auto/Apple CarPlay, forward collision alert, and pedestrian detection. The Bolt is expected to be available nationally by this fall.

Photo by General Motors

2017 Chevrolet Camaro

All of the modern-day muscle cars are union-made cars, and they start — alphabetically — with the 2017 Chevrolet Camaro. The Camaro roster then starts with a turbocharged 4-cylinder entry model and extends to V6 and V8 editions. Additionally, at the top of the range are two super-performance variants. The first, the Camaro 1LE, is engineered as an affordable yet entirely credible track car with a standard upgraded suspension, Brembo brakes, and Goodyear Eagle F1 tires—and optional Recaro racing seats. The Camaro ZL1 ups the ante with a supercharged V8 that can produce 650 hp, 640 lb-ft of torque, and 0-60 times of 3.5 seconds. The ZL1 also checks in with full track capability complemented by a Magnetic Ride Control suspension.

Photo by Chevrolet

2017 Dodge Challenger

Okay, as mentioned, there are no foreign brands represented in this gallery. That said, we can still add an international spin to the holiday with the 2017 Dodge Challenger: Although the Challenger is included with the union-made cars in the “UAW Union-Built Vehicle Guide,” it’s technically built north of the border by the Canadian Auto Workers. Appropriately, with its north-of-the-border origins, the Challenger also is the only muscle car with available all-wheel drive; new, too, are T/A editions that can deliver up to 485 hp and 475 lb-ft of torque. Oh, and the Challenger SRT Hellcat shares the “regular” Challenger’s assembly location — and union credentials — while kicking out 707 hp and 650 lb-ft of torque.

Photo by Dodge

2017 Chrysler 300

The Canadian Auto Workers also are responsible for union-made cars like the 2017 Chrysler 300. On the other hand, the 300 does follow a traditional American recipe for success, blending rear-wheel-drive performance, a full-size footprint, and an available HEMI V8 engine. The 300, though, also continues to innovate. For 2017 models, Chrysler introduces fourth-generation Uconnect infotainment technology that’s been thoroughly updated with Android Auto/Apple CarPlay smartphone integration, more processing power, and a re-engineered 8.4-inch touchscreen. The brand also lavishes significant attention on the sporty 300S trim, offering new exterior and interior appearance packages that can provide exclusive fascia designs, LED foglamps, and contoured, perforated leather seating; separately available for the 300S is a sophisticated Ceramic Gray exterior finish.

Photo by Chrysler

2017 Ford Mustang

The third member of the muscle-car trio, the 2017 Ford Mustang, also has its own unique approach to the segment. Well, it does have the same sort of modernized-yet-retro design elements as its rivals, and it does offer a similar street-legal racecar at the top of its range. But for the Mustang, that highest-performing Shelby GT350 packs a V8 engine with a flat-plane crankshaft and rides on carbon-fiber wheels — both of which are rare for any production vehicles, let alone union-made cars. With that engine good for 526 hp and 429 lb-ft of torque, and the Track Package is offered as standard equipment for 2017, the most extreme variant of the Shelby, the GT350R, is “the most track-capable, race-ready Mustang ever built.”

Photo by Ford

2017 Ford Focus

Union-made cars also can be quite affordable. The 2017 Ford Focus sedan, for example, has an MSRP of just $16,775, and that covers not only all of the modern-day basics but also some surprising extras. Thus, despite its high-value price, the Focus brings air conditioning, power locks, and windows, steering-wheel-mounted audio controls, a SYNC voice-activated infotainment system, and a rearview camera system. Customers also can move up to the Focus Titanium and enjoy such luxuries as next-gen SYNC 3 technology, an eight-inch touchscreen, a 10-speaker Sony audio system, a leather-wrapped and heated steering wheel, and heated and leather-trimmed front bucket seats with an eight-way power-adjustable driver’s seat—all as part of the car’s impressively reasonable $23,575 price tag.

Photo by Ford

2017 Ford C-Max

If you prefer greener union-made cars but don’t want to go all-in on an all-electric choice, one option is the 2017 Ford C-Max. Or perhaps more accurately, there are two options. After all, the C-Max offers both a standard hybrid propulsion system and an optional plug-in setup. The former allows owners to benefit from EPA ratings of 42 mpg city/38 mpg highway/40 mpg combined, and with the latter, the C-Max combines a 20-mile all-electric driving range with a “regular” hybrid system that supplies 550 more miles of travel at 39 mpg combined. At the same time, this cargo-friendly compact hatch can hold up to 42.8 cubic feet of gear with its plug-in package or up to 52.6 with its standard powertrain.

Photo by Ford

2017 Dodge Viper

To help celebrate the final year of production for an automotive icon, we cap off our gallery of union-made cars with the 2017 Dodge Viper. With its massive 8.4-liter V10 engine, the Viper can unleash 645 hp and 600 lb-ft of torque — which is the highest torque rating of any naturally aspirated sports car engine in the world, according to Dodge. Meanwhile, according to the SCCA, the Viper has been able to use that output to set 13-course records at racetracks across the country, and that’s another record in and of itself. The final roster for the Viper also might have set a new benchmark for build combinations, as 50 million is possible. All this is highlighted by a wide selection of highly collectible special editions.

Photo by Dodge