Ford’s F-150 pickup truck, pacing the biggest gain in U.S. market share among automakers this year, topped a 2013 consumer website’s list of what are called the most-American made models, replacing Toyota’s Camry sedan.
The F-150 snapped a four-year streak for the Camry and earned the No. 1 spot in Cars.com’s 2013 American-Made index, the website said Tuesday. The index ranks model lines based on their sales and whether car or truck parts and completed vehicles are built in the U.S.
Ford’s F-Series trucks have propelled the biggest U.S. sales increase among major automakers this year, climbing 22 percent through the end of May. The automaker said last month that it’s adding 2,000 workers and a third shift at its F-150 factory in Missouri to increase pickup production beginning in the third quarter. The F-150 also is assembled at a plant in Dearborn, Mich., where the company is based.
“Ford’s top ranking this year is a good indicator of how pickup trucks are dominating auto sales so far in 2013, and how the domestic automakers are bouncing back,” said Patrick Olsen, Cars.com’s editor-in-chief, in a statement.
While the assembly point and domestic parts content of the F-150 didn’t change from 2012 to 2013, vehicle sales are responsible for bumping the F-150 to the top spot, Olsen said.
The Camry, which ranked second in the index, is assembled at plants in Kentucky and Indiana. Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd., 17 percent owned by Toyota, produces the Indiana-made Camrys.
Automakers and lobbying groups such as the American Automotive Policy Council have criticized the index in the past for using criteria that resulted in Japan-based Toyota placing first in its study.
“The Cars.com methodology would be more accurate if it accounted for such factors as vehicle assembly, company headquarters, and research and development locations, all important factors in keeping American auto communities vibrant,” said Matt Blunt, president of the Washington-based group, in a statement.
Ford light vehicle deliveries climbed 13 percent this year through May to 1.05 million, according to industry researcher Autodata Corp.
The automaker boosted its market share by 0.8 percentage point during that span to 16.4 percent, Autodata said.
Toyota’s Tundra was the only other pickup to make the American-Made index, holding steady year-to-year to rank seventh. The F-150 previously held the top spot on the list from 2006 to 2008.
The top 10 was evenly split between domestic and foreign-owned brands. Toyota had the most models on the index’s list, taking four spots, while General Motors took three and Ford, Honda and Chrysler each took one place.
Ford shares are up about 13 percent in 2013 while Toyota’s American Depositary Receipts have surged about 25 percent.