If you’re like me, you’ve probably noticed the global trend in the marketplace in the last decade or so. Companies are broadening their horizons and importing and exporting more than ever. But when it comes to buying a car, American consumers are still buying American products more than any foreign brands on the market. One research group conducted a recent study of 715 “likely car buyers,” and here are some of the facts that may or may not surprise you:

• 79 percent were more likely to purchase a vehicle if it was made in America.

• 74 percent considered the number of American employees a car company had before purchasing a vehicle. They were more likely to purchase from those companies with more United States employees than others.

• 78 percent of the consumers gave some consideration to the country of origin for the auto parts used to make the vehicles they considered buying.

• Willingness to buy an American-made vehicle increased from 79 to 83 percent when the consumers learned that the Big Three used 2.5 times more domestic parts than the foreign competition.

• 52 percent of the consumers would consider purchasing a vehicle made in Japan. That number dropped to 43 percent when paricipants heard about the number of domestic parts the American companies used.

• Aftrer disclosure of the same information, the percentage of people who said they would probably not purchase a European-brand vehicle increased from 59 to 62.

These are interesting statistics, especially at a time when the market for vehicles is fierce. Luckily, you can be assured that Ford vehicles feature as many domestic parts as possible to meet the company’s safety and affordability standards. It’s been an American company since its beginning and continues to be a major player in the worldwide auto market.

[tags]ford vehicles, autos, mo, missouri, vehicles, trucks, st louis, american vehicles, domestic market, likely car buyers, big three, foreign auto market[/tags]