Stellantis Faces Scrutiny Over Deceptive ‘American-Made’ Promoting Claims : Automotive Addicts

Automotive

Waving the celebs and stripes may promote automobiles, however Stellantis is studying the laborious manner that patriotic advertising and marketing doesn’t fly if the information don’t again it up. However a current investigation reveals that not all is because it appears. Stellantis—the mum or dad firm of Dodge, Jeep, and Ram—is underneath hearth for a trio of advert campaigns which have drawn severe criticism from shopper watchdog group Reality in Promoting (TINA.org). The problem? Claims of being “American made” that stretch the reality past what federal requirements enable.

As first reported by CarScoops and highlighted in an in depth exposé by Reality in Promoting, the controversial adverts from Dodge, Jeep, and Ram used patriotic imagery and daring slogans that implied their autos are manufactured totally inside america. Nonetheless, underneath Federal Commerce Fee (FTC) tips, these claims seem like deceptive at greatest.

Patriotism or Puffery?

Every model throughout the Stellantis portfolio had its personal spin on nationwide pleasure. 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 considered by way of social media remnants and Instagram posts.

The actual challenge, in response to TINA.org, is that these claims fail to satisfy the FTC’s authorized definition of “Made in USA.” To legally use that phrase—or comparable phrases like “in-built America”—a product have to be “all or just about all” made in america, 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

Reality in Promoting broke down the precise U.S. components content material in every of the autos featured within the deceptive adverts:

• Jeep Wrangler – 68% U.S. content material

• Dodge Durango – 73% U.S. content material

• Ram 1500 Pickup – 55% U.S. content material

Whereas these numbers aren’t insignificant, they fall wanting 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,” notably 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 notably potent. Customers deserve correct info when making buying selections, particularly when a product is being marketed as an emblem of nationwide id.

As watchdogs and media shops like CarScoops

and Reality in Promoting proceed to shine a lightweight on questionable advertising and marketing practices, the message to automakers is obvious: in terms of “Made in USA,” it’s not nearly messaging—it’s concerning the math.

FOLLOW US TODAY: