Ford and Chrysler might find themselves in hot water over ads that imply that their vehicles are manufactured in the U.S. The Made in the USA Foundation has filed two complaints with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) against the auto manufacturers for what it calls misleading ads that claim certain vehicles were made in the United States when they were actually imported. The FTC complaint against the Chrysler corporation revolved around its television and print ads for the Chrysler 300, while the complaint against Ford stems from a radio ad for the Ford Fusion.
The tagline of the Chrysler 300 ad states, “Imported from Detroit,” a line that is the signature of the ad campaign. Says Joel D. Joseph, general counsel to the foundation: “The ads are clever, but they are false. The Chrysler 300 is made in Canada. The Chrysler 300 is assembled in Brampton, Ontario, Canada, and often includes a Mexican-made engine. Last time I checked, Detroit is not in Canada. Chrysler is flat wrong to imply the Chrysler 300 is made in the United States, and we have asked the FTC to order corrective advertising.”
The Ford radio ad for the Fusion states that the Fusion is an “American car.” According to Joseph, the Fusion is made in Mexico and thus is not an American car. “The Ford ad misleads and confuses the public, and we have asked the Federal Trade Commission to stop the ads,” he says.
The Made in the USA Foundation has also alleged that Chrysler and Ford have stripped country-of-origin information off of these and other cars at the New York City; Washington, D.C.; Detroit; and Los Angeles Auto Shows. Joseph claimed that Chrysler and Ford are intentionally misleading consumers by implying that all of their vehicles are made in the USA, even though they are not.
“To add to their wrongdoing, Chrysler and Ford have removed country-of-origin labels from their car windows at auto shows where millions of consumers get their first look at many new cars,” he says.
