American Automakers Produce More Vehicles Domestically

One way to measure an automaker’s investment in the U.S. is to compare its U.S. production to its U.S. sales. FCA US, Ford, and General Motors produced 5.8 million vehicles in the U.S. in 2018.  That same year, FCA US, Ford, and General Motors sold 7.7 million vehicles here. In other words, their 2018 U.S. production represented 75% of their 2018 U.S. sales. By comparison, foreign automakers’ U.S. Production represented only 53% of their sales in the U.S.

For example, Ford produced more than 1.1 million more cars and trucks in the U.S. in 2018 than Toyota or Honda, more than four times as many vehicles as Hyundai-Kia, nearly seven times more than BMW, and more than 17 times more than VW.

 

U.S. Production as A % of U.S. Sales (Sales-Weighted)


 

AMERICAN AUTOMAKERS OPERATE 3 OUT OF 5 U.S. AUTO ASSEMBLY PLANTS

 

To support increased production, automakers need more plants. General Motors operates as many plants as Toyota, Honda, and Daimler, combined. Similarly, FCA US operates as many assembly plants as BMW, Subaru, Hyundai-Kia, and VW, combined.

 

Total U.S. Assembly Plants by OEM (2019)


 

Share of U.S. Auto Production​ (2018)