Ford F-150 Reclaims Title of Most American-Made Vehicle from Cars.com

Londonderry, 07/03/2013 / SubmitMyPR /

With more foreign automakers producing vehicles within the United States, the term "American made" has taken on a more nuanced meaning in recent years. In fact, for the last four years, the Camry from Japanese company Toyota had led the Cars.com American-Made Index (AMI). This year, however, an iconic American vehicle returned to the top of the list: the Ford F-150 pickup truck.

The Cars.com AMI looks at vehicles that are built and bought stateside, rating them based on their percentage of domestic parts and the strength of their U.S. sales. Produced in Dearborn, Mich., and Claycomo, Mo., the Ford F-150 grabbed the No. 1 spot on the AMI for the first time since 2008, boosted by its 75 percent domestic-parts content and its popularity at dealerships. This year, sales of the F-Series are up by 22 percent through May compared to the same period in 2012.

"The Ford F-150 is not only America's best-selling vehicle, but also a perfect embodiment of our country's work-hard-play-hard philosophy, so it's a natural fit at the top of the Cars.com AMI," said Jim McGovern, general manager of Ford of Londonderry, a New Hampshire Ford dealer. "Everywhere you turn this Fourth of July, you'll see F-150s hauling the essentials to the cookouts and fireworks displays, and when the holiday has passed, they'll be found on virtually every worksite throughout America."

The 2013 Ford F-150 recently proved that it can lead in substance just as well as it does in sales, winning the 2013 Light-Duty Challenge from PickupTrucks.com and Popular Mechanics magazine. Editors at both publications gathered the six light-duty pickup trucks currently on the market and evaluated their performance, as well as their exterior and interior quality.

Though the offerings from Chevy, GMC and Ram all had the advantage of being newly redesigned, Ford's F-150 still dominated when it came to capability, finishing in first or second place in 11 out of the 13 performance tests in the Light-Duty Challenge. Housing a 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 engine, the 2013 Ford F-150 XLT SuperCrew led its competitors with 420 pound-feet of torque while boasting the highest maximum payload and towing figures of 1,630 pounds and 11,080 pounds, respectively. The model also achieved the fastest 0 - 60 mph time when hauling 1,200 pounds, as well as when towing an 8,500-pound trailer. Not to mention, it also had the shortest 60 - 0 mph braking distance when unloaded.

"The recently redesigned models in the light-duty pickup segment have shown a lot of flash, but when it comes down to it, they still trail well behind the Ford F-150 when they're judged on the rugged capabilities that drivers really want from a truck," added McGovern. "On top of that, F-150 buyers can opt for Ford's EcoBoost technology to enjoy all that performance without paying an arm and a leg for it at the gas pump."

About Ford of Londonderry:
Ford of Londonderry is a premier New Hampshire Ford dealer, serving those in nearby Derry, Concord, Nashua and Manchester. Ford of Londonderry has the extensive new and used Ford inventory New Hampshire drivers desire, with amazing prices and specials on all the latest models. They also have a skilled Ford service team that can handle any repairs or maintenance their customers need completed. You can preview their wide selection of Fords at www.fordoflondonderry.com, call them at 888-871- 1155, like them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/FordofLondonderry, or visit their Ford dealership at 33 Nashua Road in Londonderry, N.H.