Believe it or not, at one point the American auto industry had such a bad reputation that the phrase “Made In America” was practically the kiss of death for a new car. Among the many reasons cited for this was the indifferent build quality applied to so many of the models manufactured in the United States. Because of this, the workers of the entire American auto industry eventually came to be stigmatized.
Until, that is, offshore manufacturers from Germany, Japan and Korea decided to build their most popular models here in the United States—applying their homegrown methodologies. Volkswagen was the first, eventually Nissan, Toyota, BMW, Honda, Mercedes-Benz, Hyundai and Kia followed. Proving American workers could equal or better their counterparts in the rest of the world, many of the foreign cars made in America built in these factories have been found to be among the most satisfying vehicles built in the U.S.A.
We recently partnered with AutoPacific to survey 75,000 new car buyers within their first three months of ownership to determine their overall satisfaction with the vehicles they purchased. Examining the findings revealed seven “Foreign Cars Made in America” models from offshore manufacturers proudly residing among the top ranked products, thus proving that given a solid design and exacting standards, an Alabama factory worker can build a Mercedes-Benz just as good as a factory worker in Sindelfingen does.
The Autobytel/AutoPacific seven most satisfying “Favorite Foreign Cars Made in America” are:
