America has shipped millions of cars overseas, but not all of them are popular in the country. Meanwhile, many American-made cars do not always carry an American brand.
To clarify, “American-made” does not always equate to having an American brand. Because of globalization, the “made in America” label in cars became trickier.
Some of you might be surprised that the “most American” car is a Japanese brand – the Toyota Camry. Cars.com measures American Made Index based on where the parts are manufactured, where the vehicle is built and what percentage of the car sales are based on the US, among other factors. A vehicle must be made of at least 75% US-manufactured parts to be considered American-made.
With that being said, here are the American made cars that are popular internationally:
1. Buick Excelle
General Motors sells more Buick Excelle in China annually than all Buicks combined in the US. It is also popular in Canada, Australia, Europe, India, and New Zealand. However, because cars are often given different names depending on the market in which they are sold, Excelle is known as Chevy Optra in Canada, Daewoo Lacetti in Korea and Holden Viva in Australia and New Zealand. Thank the multinational nature of modern car companies for this screen name abundance.
2. Toyota Corolla
The Toyota Corolla still remains as the best-selling car in the world; no wonder it’s also one of those cars made in America that are very popular all over the planet. Copies of the car are shipped from the United States to Europe, Africa, Latin America, Asia and more. The Corolla is affordable, easy to fix, reliable and fuel-efficient – making it the ideal, typical car you can see everywhere.
3. Ford Focus
It comes as to no surprise that the popular Ford Focus is also making noise abroad. It has always been Ford’s biggest seller in Europe where approximately 400,000 units are sold every year, and over 9.2 million have been shipped worldwide since it was released in 1998. Whatever version it had, the best selling point of Focus is its impressive performance and quick handling.
4. Toyota Camry
As mentioned earlier, Toyota Camry is the “most American” car. It is also one of the best-selling cars in the world. The Camry is a classic mid-size sedan, and because the Toyota brand is highly recognizable, finding replacement car parts from anywhere in the world is simple. It is mostly shipped to the Middle East, Africa, and Asia.
5. Ford Mustang
Whether it’s an old-school Mustang from the 1960s or 70s or a later version like Ford Mustang Shelby, the Mustang is one of the most popular, affordable sports car here and abroad. The Mustang, through the years since it was introduced during the 1960s, has been distributed to places around the world including Europe and Australia.
When the Mustang was released by Ford, Chevrolet responded by launching the Camaro. It actively competed with Mustang as both are iconic American sports cars. Camaro became a sports car that’s coveted by enthusiasts from Europe.
7. Honda Civic
A highly affordable and reliable car, the Honda Civic is one of the most popular sub-compact cars on the planet. It was the best-selling car in Canada for many years. The Civic can also be found almost worldwide – it is shipped to Africa, Asia, and Europe.
8. Ford Everest
The Ford Everest is a large sports utility vehicle that looks like a Ford Expedition. It is a heavy-duty truck popular in Latin America and Asia, especially in Saudi Arabia and India. Everest is designed to tackle difficult terrain – just like the mountain it was named after.
9. Ford Transit
In Europe, the Ford Transit has become synonymous to the word “van.” You can find one in almost every road in England and Germany. There have been several versions of the vans, which are often used as a work vehicle, while some are revamped as ice cream trucks, recreational vehicle or taxis. It gained a reputation for having a car-like feel even if it is a big vehicle.
10. Cadillac SLS
A luxury sedan like the Cadillac SLS is a popular luxury car that can be found in the streets of China. Mostly owned by Chinese businessmen, the SLS has a cutting edge technology with posh interior popular to those who have money to spare to buy luxury cars.