Where are they made? NO BRAND BASHING FACTS ONLY

OK, most of you already know I'm in the research stages of replacing my '03 Chevy Gasser with a diesel. I have made it my commitment to NOT be brand loyal this time around and go for the best truck for me based on my own independent research. One of the major factors in purchasing my next vehicle is buying American. No offense to our friends out of the country, but in our current economic climate I'm going to do what I can to keep this one "in house".

Having said all that I'm having a hard time finding out where each truck is made. In addition, it goes a little deeper. i.e. Dodge. It may be assembled in MX, but the Cummins engine is assembled here which I respect. . . Which one is more important though . . .

Here is the preliminary findings I have thus far ranked in no particular order

Chevy/GMC - Assembled in Flint, MI. Duramax made in USA/partnered with Isuzu. Allison - Made in USA but owned by company outside of US?

Ford - Assembled in Kansas. Powerstroke - Not sure where it is assembled. . . Tranny, same I belive both are USA?

Dodge - Assembled in Mexico and Warren, MI (which ones are made where?). Cummins is approx 51% foreign with blocks made in Brazil but assembled here. Tranny, not sure.

In the end the above questions are for me to answer, but I'm really hoping to get some discussion going here. Also as stated in the subject, no brand bashing ! Prior to beginning this process I was heck bent on avoiding Ford. BUT that new 6.7 really has me thinking. I truly will be giving each of the big 3 equal time all are good trucks.

From Wikipedia...

Power Stroke is the name given to the turbocharged diesel engines found in Ford Super Duty trucks, Ford Excursion SUVs, Ford Econoline vans, and Ford LCF commercial vehicles. Production by Navistar International Corporation (International Truck and Engine Corporation) for Ford Motor Company began in mid 1994, in Indianapolis, Indiana, Huntsville, Alabama, and Brazil and continued until 2010. The Navistar sourced diesels came in displacements of 7.3, 6.9, 6.0, 4.5, and 6.4 liters. In the middle of 2010 Ford released a newly designed 6.7 Liter Powerstroke engine (codenamed the Scorpion and built in house by Ford) along with a newly redesigned interior and exterior and for the first time since the Powerstroke first appeared in 1994 there was no manual transmission offered. These engines primarily compete in the United States full-size pickup truck market with the Duramax V8 from General Motors/Isuzu DMAX and the B series straight 6 from Dodge/Cummins.

The 6.7 L is the first medium duty diesel designed and built by Ford. It was designed in conjunction with AVL in Austria.[2] During design, Ford engineers codenamed this engine "Scorpion" due to the turbo being mounted right on top of the block.[3] It includes a Compacted graphite iron (CGI) block for greater strength while reducing weight, reverse flow aluminum cylinder heads (the exhaust ports are located in the lifter valley) with dual water jackets, six head bolts per cylinder, and 29,000 psi (1,999 bar) a high-pressure common rail Bosch fuel system. The system delivers up to five injection events per cylinder per cycle using eight-hole piezo injectors spraying fuel into the piston bowl. This engine also supports B20 biodiesel (allowing greener fueling options of up to 20 percent biodiesel and 80 percent petroleum diesel). There is also a unique inboard exhaust and outboard intake architecture, an automotive-industry first for a modern production diesel engine. Honeywell’s single-sequential turbocharger features an industry-first double-sided compressor wheel mounted on a single shaft. It combines the benefits of a small turbocharger (faster response) and a large turbocharger (ability to compress and force more air into the engine for more power) in one unit.[4] The connecting rods are made by Mahle.[5]

Emissions controls include exhaust gas recirculation, Denoxtronic based Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) solution from Bosch, and a Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF). Output was originally 390 hp (291 kW) and 735 lb·ft (997 N·m).[6] but shortly after production started, Ford announced that they have made an update to the new 6.7L diesel. The new engine control software makes the engine capable of 400 hp (298 kW) @ 2800 rpm and 800 lb·ft (1,085 N·m) @ 1600 rpm while achieving better fuel economy and without any physical changes to the engine. All 6.7L engines already shipped to dealerships or purchased by customers can be upgraded to Fords new specifications with a free software update available at Ford dealerships. [7]

Cool...so if you buy the King Ranch version with the 6.7, you could call it the Scorpion King Ranch!!

BTW, Dodge's out of country assembly is mostly the result of Clinton's Nafda and Lee Iacoca trying to keep the company from going under.

TC

All three manufacturers make great trucks, with parts sourced from all over the world. There really is no such thing as 100% made in America. JMHO...that's how we got into this mess in the first place.

I am biased in my opinion because I worked for 32 years for one of them in the truck group. I would suggest that they are all fine trucks, and you should drive each one to see which one fits your bucket the best. You're gonna spend lots of time sitting behind the wheel, no sense being uncomfortable.

I would forget all the marketing hype...it's your money...so it's your opinion that counts.

Get a Ford F250 or F350. Put in a Cummins engine and an Allison Transmission.

The perfect Truck IMHO.

Seriously though, like Avid said, you will be the one driving it. They all have some things good and some things not so good about them. They all have trucks that almost never need any kind of major service/repair and they all have trucks that the problems are never ending. Pick the one you think best suits you.

I drive a Chevy 2500HD CC std bed because I got a GREAT deal on it. I could have easily had either a Ford or Dodge, price being my deciding factor.

Take a look at This dragynj,maybe it will help.

Tracker16 wrote:Take a look at This dragynj,maybe it will help.

Nice! Thanks! They have the Ram 1500, but not 2500 on there. Going to ASSume it is also US. Looks like there is no clear cut "winner" to the made in the USA contest, which I somewhat expected. Manufacturing is a global environment right now. I know that first hand as I used to work for Bobcat in my previous life. Bobcat had a pretty good reputation for being "made in the usa", but quite a few of our parts were coming in from overseas, just the nature of the beast. Heck, even our "made in usa" decal came from Canada !!!!!!!!!

Thanks everyone. To be honest this whole thread started because the Dodge Ram has taken the lead with my preliminary research, but I heard that they were made in Mexico. Good thing I got more time than money to do this research before dropping $60 large.

The RAM 1500's are made in the US. RAM 2500's and 3500's are made in Mexico. The Cummins Turbo Diesel is made in Indiana with very very few foreign parts.

eight-hole piezo injectors - my friend repairs fuel injectors. The new one we are talking requires him to buy a new machine if he ever repairs them.

I applaud your efforts for even thinking along these lines...

I wish more people would think like you...

Its hard if not impossible to buy MIUSA, I think most people just give up looking...
I'm guilty of that to...

dragynj wrote:

Tracker16 wrote:Take a look at This dragynj,maybe it will help.

To be honest this whole thread started because the Dodge Ram has taken the lead with my preliminary research, but I heard that they were made in Mexico. Good thing I got more time than money to do this research before dropping $60 large.

I've had two Ram 2500's made in Mexico, with made in USA Cummins Turbo Diesels. The 04.5 ran for 118,000 miles with very few drive train related problems. All other maintenance was considered to be as needed based on the mileage driven, ie. tires, brakes, shocks, seals, muffler, etc.

My 2010 RAM 2500 CTD is turning into a winner as the stiffness of a new diesel works itself out and the engine breaks in. Next trip will just put me over 10K miles and we should be seeing a marked increase in MPG.

So, no problems with trucks made in Mexico.

I'm sure vehicles made in other countries are of good quality - if not, people wouldn't buy they. They know how we are about our cars.

It's sad, though, that these jobs and others have been sent to other countries, and we have so many unemployed people here. That's my problem with anything made elsewhere. It's hard finding stuff made in the USA.

Tater

I don't like sending my money out of the country any more than anyone else.

But I own a '03 Quad cab dually Cummins w/ a 6spd manual, and I get 28mpg highway (60mph) and 23mpg suburban driving (both empty, driven very conservatively) and 15mpg towing 11k 5er (60mph cruise).

I mention this because over a 200k mile ownership, I will burn probably 10,000 gallons of diesel fuel, most of which comes from overseas. That's roughly $40,000 in fuel, a lot of which will be sent overseas-much of it to people who dislike us FAR more than Canadians or Mexicans (where many car parts are made, and are also the largest exporters of oil to the USA).

I am OK with my Dodge chassis being made in Mexico (though I'd prefer it be assembled here), knowing that the fuel I am saving by not sitting behind a V8 diesel is money that will stay here in the USA (and get spent on other stuff, though most of THAT stuff is made in China).

Is there really a way to win w/ this stuff?

Ford 6.7 diesel blocks are cast in Brazil and engine assembled in Mexico, the truck is final assembled in Louisville Ky.

I had the wheels off my Dodge P/U yesterday and was surprised they were made in Brazil, rather than Mexico, or even here.

You just never know, anymore.

10 years ago I paid extra for a genuine Delco-Remy water pump for a GM product (I've had too many Chinese GMB brand w/p failures to use them anymore) and it said, "Assembled in China from parts made in the USA." Who'd have thunk the parts would have made a round trip to China just to put Americans out of work?

bobinyelm wrote:...much of it to people who dislike us FAR more than Canadians or Mexicans...

Canadians dislike Americans? If anything, it's friendly back and forth cross-border banter :)