The famous model from the Blue Oval house is not entirely made in the United States, with several components imported from abroad and subject to the duties imposed by Trump. On the market for half a century now, in 2024 it was not the best-selling model in the USA, for the first time in 42 years
There Ford it is probably the brand that most represents the United States of America in the automotive world. The pickup F-150 it is one of the most important models in the history of the house ofBlue Ovalwhich for 42 consecutive years, from 1982 until 2024, was the best-selling vehicle ever in the Stars and Stripes market, only losing the record last year to Toyota Rav4. Since 1977 it has continued to dominate the pick-up segment in the United States, but for the Ford F-150 it cannot however be said that it is a model made 100% in the USA. Something that clashes with the duties imposed, also regarding the car market, by the US president Donald Trump. To avoid these customs duties the various houses must assemble at least 85% of the vehicle in the United States. A result that is not achieved by any of the over 500 models sold in North America, not even the Tesla of President Trump’s former ally, Elon Muskwhich stops at 75%. The percentage of production in the United States drops to 45% for the famous Ford F-150, a two and a half ton pick-up with 430 horsepower, which is assembled in Michigan and Missouri, after having the various components arrived from at least 23 different countries.
Origins of Ford F-150 Components
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In fact, they are different pick-up components that are made outside the United States of America. For example, the Ford F-150 rims come from Mexico and the driveshafts from Canada. The seats are produced in Germany, the tubes in Romania, and the tires in South Korea. Vehicle parts which are then all assembled in the United States, but this certainly involves an increase in costs due to duties. For example, the current rate for Mexico and Canada has dropped from 25% to 15%. Also with regards to the countries ofEuropean Unionas in the case of the Ford F-150, Germany and Romania, there is talk of 15% duties in the automotive sector, thanks to theagreement between the US and the EU achieved in the summer to reduce the previous rate by 27.5%. 15% duties then for South Korea, which is also involved in the production of this pick-up. Inside a vehicle, as in the case of the Ford F-150, there are around 20 thousand parts coming from more than 20 different countries: bolts, gaskets, springs, screws, valves, batteries and light bulbs. The various tariffs imposed by the Trump administration cause the increase final price of every car and therefore Ford, like other American and European manufacturers, has no choice but to make end buyers pay duties.
ford f-150, History and sales data
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The Ford F-150 caught up this year half a century of lifegiven that it was introduced in 1975 as an advanced and more payload-capable version of the F-100. But its origins reach back to the beginnings of F-Serieswith the first pickup from the Detroit company born in 1948. Having become increasingly popular overseas, it became so in 1982 with the overtaking of the Oldsmobile Cutlass the best-selling model ever in the United States, as it has remained at the top of sales in the pick-up segment since 1977. Over 33 million the F-150 units registered in its half-century of existence, although in 2024 sales dropped to 460 thousand units, compared to around 475 thousand for the Toyota Rav4, which took away its lead in the United States. In its continued evolution, since 2021 the F-150 has adopted a modern exterior design, with a luxurious interior cabin and advanced technology. Since 2024 the hybrid engine with a 3.5 liter petrol engine. A vehicle like this pickup, to be sold on the American market, can cost up to 20 thousand dollars more than before Trump’s tariffs. Ford itself sources from abroad approximately 60% of the components used, with cost increases for the industry estimated at 2.5 billion dollars. It is not yet feasible for the entire production of the car to be done in the United States, not even for Ford, as per President Trump’s wish.
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