On American Independence Day, we hear that patriotism is the US plays a big role in consumers’ choice of automobiles.
According to the July edition of the Shopper Insights Report from the AutoTrader.com trend engine, 41 percent of car shoppers recently surveyed say that it is important to purchase a vehicle built in the US by US workers, versus 28 percent who say it is important to purchase a vehicle made by a US automaker somewhere else.
"There's no doubt that buying American products supports the US economy, but 'Made in the US' doesn't have to mean 'made by' a US manufacturer," said Rick Wainschel, vice president of automotive insights at AutoTrader.com.
"With the global nature of the auto industry, many vehicles from foreign automakers are manufactured right here in the US, enabling car shoppers to feel that they are still supporting the US economy and job creation for American workers."
The survey further revealed that while "American made" is generally seen by consumers as a car made in the US by a US automaker, a vehicle that is made in the US by a foreign automaker is more likely to be seen as "American made" (57 percent) than one from a US automaker that was built outside the US (43 percent).
