The Truth About ‘American Made’ Cars – It’s All A Lie!

What if the biggest foreign influence in your car never appears on the badge?

Washington is warning that Chinese automotive technology can create national security risks. At the same time, some of the world’s largest automakers increasingly rely on Chinese companies for batteries, software, components and manufacturing.

That contradiction is now public. The Transportation Department has warned Ford Motor Co. about its China ties, and Congress is weighing limits on foreign connected-vehicle technology plus greater consumer control over vehicle data.

The “American made” label does not tell the whole story.

Washington calls out Ford’s China ties

On Sept. 8, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy sent Ford CEO Jim Farley a letter criticizing the company’s growing reliance on China.

Duffy cited Ford’s licensed technology from Chinese battery maker Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd., or CATL, at BlueOval Battery Park in Marshall, Michigan; Ford’s partnership with China’s Geely Auto in Spain; and plans to delay reshoring some Lincoln models until 2030. CATL is on the Pentagon’s list of companies accused of ties to China’s military.

Duffy’s message was blunt: American companies should not become more dependent on strategic competitors for critical technology and manufacturing.

Ford is not alone.

Toyota has worked with BYD. Volkswagen has partnered with XPeng. Mercedes-Benz has ties to Geely. BMW has worked with Great Wall Motor. Stellantis has a strategic partnership with Leapmotor. Mazda has partnered with China’s Changan Automobile. Volvo is majority-owned by Geely Holding.

Those relationships do not automatically make a vehicle dangerous. They do show how deeply Chinese companies are embedded in the global auto industry. A car does not have to be built in China to contain significant Chinese technology. Asking whether a vehicle is “American made” is no longer enough.

Your car is now a computer

A modern vehicle is not just an engine, a transmission and four wheels. It is a connected computer packed with sensors, cameras, GPS, cellular connections and software.

Those systems can collect information about where a vehicle goes, how it is driven and how its technology is used. That raises two separate questions: What happens to that information, and who might have access to the technology collecting it?

Washington is focused on the national security side. The proposed Connected Vehicle Security Act of 2026, S. 4429, would restrict certain connected vehicles and related technology associated with foreign adversaries, including China, Russia, Iran and North Korea. The House companion is H.R. 8730.

Consumers should watch a second issue just as closely: who controls the data a vehicle generates.

H.R. 6734, the Auto Data Privacy and Autonomy Act, would give owners greater control over covered vehicle data and restrict some manufacturer access, sale or sharing without consent. That matters because a vehicle can generate valuable information about where and how you drive. Buyers should know what is collected, who receives it, whether it is sold or shared, and whether they can opt out.

Security concerns are real. So is overreach.

Protecting Americans from foreign technology risks is a legitimate national security issue. That does not mean every Chinese component is automatically dangerous. It also should not become an excuse for government to decide everything Americans can own, repair or do with their vehicles.

The same standard should apply to automakers. If you buy the vehicle, you should have meaningful control over the information it generates. If critical technology comes from a strategic competitor, consumers deserve to know that too.

Why do automakers keep doing business with Chinese companies? Money is a large part of the answer.

China has enormous manufacturing capacity and has become a major force in batteries, electric vehicles and automotive technology. Chinese partnerships can give Western automakers access to technology, factory expertise and lower-cost production without spending years and billions of dollars to develop everything themselves.

That can be good business. Business convenience and national security are not the same thing. Once an industry depends on another country for critical technology, breaking that dependence becomes expensive and difficult — and the supplier gains leverage.

‘American made’ no longer answers the real questions

The old definition of “American made” is getting harder to use. A vehicle can be assembled in Michigan and still depend on technology developed overseas. It can wear an American, Japanese or German badge and still rely on a supply chain that stretches around the world. It can sit in a driveway and generate data the owner may not fully control.

That does not mean every vehicle with Chinese components is a threat. It means consumers deserve transparency.

Before buying the next connected vehicle, ask where the critical technology comes from and who supplies the batteries, computers and software. Ask what information the vehicle collects, who gets access to it and whether you can say no.

The badge may tell you who sold the vehicle. It does not tell you everything inside it.

The auto industry is entering an era in which software, batteries, electronics and data can matter as much as horsepower and handling. China is already deeply embedded in the global automotive supply chain. Washington is now telling American automakers to reduce that dependence. Those two realities deserve more scrutiny from consumers, lawmakers and the companies building the vehicles people drive.

The next time someone says a vehicle is “American made,” look past the sticker. Ask who built the technology, who supplied the critical components, who controls the software and who has access to the data.

The badge tells you who sold the car. It does not tell you everything underneath it.

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Lauren Fix is an automotive expert and journalist covering industry trends, policy changes and their impact on drivers nationwide. Follow her on X at @LaurenFix.