One of the Ford F-150's main appeals to American truck buyers is its heritage as a true American truck. However, in today's global economy, is the Ford F-150 still "Made in the USA"? We've done the research for your convenience.
The Ford F-150 is exclusively assembled in two Ford plants in the USA. However, almost half of the truck's parts come from outside the North American region. In general, many people still consider the F-150 as the "most American" pickup truck in the world.
Are you interested in getting an F-150 for your next ride? Alternatively, you may be narrowing down your choices among the most "American" trucks in the market. Do read on, because we've prepared some helpful tips to let you make the best choice for your home and for the U.S. economy.
Is The Ford F-150 Made In America?
The F-150 has been around since 1975 as part of the sixth generation of Ford's F-series trucks (including Ford's Super Duty F-250, F-350, etc.). Because of the nameplate's long history of performance and quality, the Ford F-series has been America's best-selling truck for almost half a century now.
As of today, Ford assembles all of its F-150s in two U.S. truck production plants. The first location in Dearborn, Michigan also houses Ford's corporate headquarters. The second location, which is almost 750 miles away from headquarters, is an assembly plant in Claycomo, Missouri.
It's worth mentioning that Ford previously assembled Canadian-market F-150s in a Ford plant in Oakville, Ontario. However, production of all Canadian-market F-150s was subsequently moved to Dearborn in 2007.
Where Are Ford Trucks Designed?
Aside from its Dearborn corporate headquarters, Ford has 22 corporate office locations around the U.S. Many of these locations house Ford professionals who aid in the vehicles' designs and testing. However, the Ford F-150's main design team hails from the Dearborn headquarters.
Where Was My F-150 Made?
Are you a proud F-150 owner living in the U.S.? If you're curious as to which plant produced your F-150, then you can find out either from your truck's window sticker or your vehicle identification number (VIN).
Near the bottom of your window sticker, you should find the location of your truck's "Final Assembly Plant". Alternatively, you can take a look at the 11th alphanumeric character of your VIN. The letter "F" at this position represents the Dearborn facility, while the letter "K" represents the Claycomo facility.
Although each and every Ford F-150 sold in the U.S. has also been assembled in America, not all of the truck's parts come from America.
What Percentage Of The F-150 Is Made In The US?
According to data from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Ford sources 50% of the 2022 F-150's parts from the U.S. and Canada. Other components come from manufacturing facilities outside the North American continent.
The percentage of the 2022 F-150's North American-made components is slightly lower than that of the previous year's (2021) F-150, which stands at 55%.
What Truck Is Most American?
Some industry experts and automotive websites hail the Ford F-150 as the last remaining true American truck. However, in recent years, other authoritative bodies have already given the mantle of "most American-made" truck to other models like the Toyota Tundra and the Honda Ridgeline.
So how did these Japanese-branded trucks, at least in the eyes of some, become "more American" than those from American classic brands like Ford, Ram, Chevrolet, and GMC? The answer lies in the different definitions of what is "Made in America".
Here are some criteria that play a role in determining how "American" a truck, or any vehicle, is.
- Brand origin
- Brand headquarters
- Truck design source
- Truck assembly location
- Parts and components source
Brand Origin
The Ford Motor Company belongs to the "Big Three" of American car manufacturers, along with General Motors and Stellantis (formerly Chrysler). Ford, which was founded in 1903 by the American Henry Ford, wrote its name on the global map by starting the world's first moving assembly line for automobiles.
Brand Headquarters
Among the Big Three, only Ford and GM (based in Detroit) maintain headquarters in the U.S. Stellantis, which acquired Fiat Chrysler in 2021, has its headquarters in Amsterdam (the Netherlands).
Although Toyota and Honda have large operations in North America, the respective brands' headquarters are still in Japan.
A carmaker's headquarters location is important not just for the brand's national identity, but also because of financial metrics. For example, a study made by a business school in Washington, D.C. tells us that an automotive brand keeps an average of 6% profit margin from each vehicle sold.
If the company headquarters is in the U.S., then that profit stays in the U.S. economy. Otherwise, the profit goes to the economy of the country that houses the carmaker's headquarters.
For its part, we can assume that all Ford F-150 profits go to the Ford headquarters in Dearborn, and by extension, contributes to the U.S. economy.
Truck Design Source
The same study also shows us that A truck design is part of an automotive company's research and development budget. If all the truck's design and testing costs stay within the U.S., then it means that the company provides more income to the American workforce.
Apart from R&D costs, some people give more stock to truck design because of aesthetic values. Theoretically, American vehicle designers are more in touch with American vehicle buyers.
As mentioned earlier, all of the Ford F-150's designs were made in Dearborn and other U.S. corporate offices.
Truck Assembly Location
The Washington study also allocates 6% of a vehicle's selling price to labor cost, particularly for vehicle assembly. If a carmaker assembles its vehicles in U.S. facilities, then it provides a livelihood for more American citizens. This raises the U.S. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) even more.
A recent survey tells us that approximately a third of American car buyers prefer to buy vehicles that contribute to the U.S. economy.
The Ford F-150, as mentioned earlier, is now exclusively assembled in two U.S.-based facilities. However, other foreign-branded trucks like the Toyota Tundra and Honda Ridgeline are also assembled in Texas and Alabama, respectively.
Parts And Components Source
This criteria is where the Ford F-150 trails behind some of its Japanese-branded competitors in the pickup truck segment. We know that approximately half of the F-150's parts come from outside the U.S. However, the 2021 Toyota Tundra sourced 65% of its parts from North America.
Although the Honda Ridgeline is one size class lower than the F-150, we must still acknowledge that its 2022 model sourced 70% of its parts from the U.S. and Canada.
Some popular trucks made by GM even have lower scores in terms of North American parts composition. For example, the Chevrolet Silverado and the GMC Sierra both have only 46% of their parts sourced from the U.S. and Canada.
Are Any Cars Made Completely In America?
Based on NHTSA's records, not a single vehicle currently sold in the U.S. is completely made in America.
For example, some popular trucks made by GM use North American parts for less than half of their vehicles' composition. For example, the Chevrolet Silverado and the GMC Sierra both have only 46% of their parts sourced from the U.S. and Canada.
What Weight Can A Ford F-150 Tow?
Aside from having brand loyalty, American truck enthusiasts also take towing capacity in serious consideration when choosing a pickup truck. The F-150 does not disappoint in this particular area.
The Ford F-150's maximum towing capacity depends largely on the specific trim, towing package, and engine option. However, to declutter all the slight variances due to the drive configuration, cabin format, and truck bed length, we've listed the 2020 F-150's maximum towing capacity based on the engine option.
- 3.3-liter Ti-VCT V6 - 7,700 pounds
- 2.7-liter EcoBoost V6 - 9,000 pounds
- 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 - 13,200 pounds
- 5.0-liter Ti-VCT V8 - 11,500 pounds
- 3.0-liter Turbodiesel V6 - 11,500 pounds
- 3.5-liter EcoBoost H.O. V6 - 11,000 pounds
All figures above can be achieved only with Ford's Max Trailer Tow package.
How Much Does A Ford F-150 Cost Now?
If you're considering your budget for a new F-150, look no further because we've listed the starting prices of the 2022 F-150's different trims below.
- XL - $31,520
- XLT- $39,165
- Lariat- $49,100
- Tremor - $54,120
- King Ranch- $60,320
- Platinum- $63,100
- Raptor- $70,555
- Limited- $77,625
These starting prices are accurate as of October 2022.
Wrapping Up
Although the Canadian-market F-150 was produced until 2007 in Ontario, Canada, all of today's F-150s are exclusively designed and assembled in the U.S.A. However, we should note that approximately half of the F-150's components came from outside the North American region.
Thank you very much for reading. We hope we were able to help you better appreciate the American roots and stature of the best-selling full-size truck that is the Ford F-150.
For more interesting reads about the F-150 and other automotive topics, you may also check out these great articles below.
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