Waving the celebrities and stripes would possibly promote automobiles, however Stellantis is studying the onerous method that patriotic advertising doesn’t fly if the info don’t again it up. However a latest investigation reveals that not all is because it appears. Stellantis—the guardian firm of Dodge, Jeep, and Ram—is underneath fireplace for a trio of advert campaigns which have drawn severe criticism from shopper watchdog group Fact in Promoting (TINA.org). The difficulty? Claims of being “American made” that stretch the reality past what federal requirements permit.
As first reported by CarScoops and highlighted in an in depth exposé by Fact in Promoting, the controversial adverts from Dodge, Jeep, and Ram used patriotic imagery and daring slogans that implied their automobiles are manufactured completely inside the USA. Nevertheless, underneath Federal Commerce Fee (FTC) pointers, these claims seem like deceptive at greatest.
Patriotism or Puffery?
Every model inside the Stellantis portfolio had its personal spin on nationwide satisfaction. Dodge aired an advert that includes the Durango SUV alongside the tagline “American born. American made.” Jeep continued its long-running affiliation with Americana by calling itself “America’s most patriotic model,” with visuals centered on the Wrangler. Ram went even additional with a marketing campaign stating the Ram 1500 pickup is constructed “from the bottom up in America.” These adverts have since been pulled from official Stellantis platforms, however can nonetheless be seen through social media remnants and Instagram posts.
The actual subject, in line with TINA.org, is that these claims fail to fulfill the FTC’s authorized definition of “Made in USA.” To legally use that phrase—or related phrases like “inbuilt America”—a product should be “all or just about all” made in the USA, that means negligible overseas content material is allowed.
That’s a excessive bar—and one Stellantis fashions merely don’t clear.
Beneath the Hood of the Claims
Fact in Promoting broke down the precise U.S. components content material in every of the automobiles featured within the deceptive adverts:
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Jeep Wrangler – 68% U.S. content material
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Dodge Durango – 73% U.S. content material
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Ram 1500 Pickup – 55% U.S. content material
Whereas these numbers aren’t insignificant, they fall in need of the FTC’s threshold. Extra importantly, the remaining components—together with engines, transmissions, and motors—are sourced from a variety of nations, together with Mexico, Italy, and Japan. That worldwide sourcing undermines the premise of “from the bottom up in America,” significantly when key elements come from overseas.
The Fallout
As of now, it’s unclear whether or not Stellantis plans to proceed airing these campaigns on tv, although they’ve been scrubbed from most on-line platforms. TINA.org has formally urged the automaker to stop all variations of those deceptive adverts and make clear their messaging going ahead.
With Stellantis headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, and lengthy branding itself as a steward of American automotive heritage, this controversy comes at a time when shopper expectations are particularly delicate to claims of home manufacturing. Within the period of financial nationalism and new tariffs on imported items, transparency in promoting isn’t simply good follow—it’s a regulatory requirement.
This isn’t the primary time an automaker has stretched patriotic branding, however the timing of this misstep—amid rising scrutiny of American-made claims—makes it significantly potent. Customers deserve correct data when making buying selections, particularly when a product is being marketed as a logo of nationwide identification.
As watchdogs and media shops like CarScoops
and Fact in Promoting proceed to shine a lightweight on questionable advertising practices, the message to automakers is evident: on the subject of “Made in USA,” it’s not nearly messaging—it’s in regards to the math.