Stellantis claims in a series of advertisements that their cars are 'built from the ground up in the USA'. But that is a lie, and now the advertisement must be withdrawn.
Misleading 'built in the USA' ads for Jeep, Ram and Dodge are now being pulled by Stellantis after criticism that goes to the origin of the cars.
Auto group Stellantis has changed a number of television commercials in the US after criticism of claims that Ram, Jeep and Dodge cars are "built in the USA". The US consumer group Truth in Advertising pointed out the error.
The American-European Stellantis group, which owns brands such as Ram, Jeep and Dodge, had produced several advertisements with the controversial claims. For example, Jeep was marketed as "America's most patriotic brand."
But it doesn't work.
At the same time, Ram and Dodge were called cars that were "built" in the USA. But those formulations do not hold up in court.
This is all happening in the midst of the debate about Donald Trump's possible punitive tariffs on imported cars.
Stellantis was therefore forced to reconsider the content of the advertisements. The clear warning came from Truth in Advertising. The organization believes that Stellantis misled consumers.
The misdirection was about how much of the car production actually takes place in the US. This is a central point of the criticism.
Consumer body: Stellantis is lying to motorists
Truth in Advertising recognizes Stellantis' right to highlight American assembly plants. These plants create jobs and strengthen the US economy.
But the organization emphasizes that Stellantis must not exaggerate. It is illegal to embellish how much production actually takes place domestically, the organization wrote in its criticism.
The problem is that Stellantis does not manufacture all of its car parts in the U.S. Many components are imported from other countries.
Therefore, according to American law, it is not correct to claim that the cars are built exclusively in the United States. The fact that the cars are assembled in an American factory does not change that.
The legal limit for "Made in USA" labeling is often strict. It requires that almost all parts be of domestic origin.
Debate over 'Made in the USA' claims
Following threats of further action, Stellantis has responded. The car company has changed the wording in its YouTube ads. It now states that the cars are "proudly built in the USA."
This indicates an acknowledgement that the original wording was too imprecise. The new wording focuses more on the assembly process.
However, it is unclear whether all commercials have been changed. Some of the commercials may still air in their original versions on traditional television.
The case illustrates the challenges of marketing global production. It can be difficult to define "Made in the USA" precisely.
Consumers are placing increasing importance on country of origin, especially in the American market.
The debate about import tariffs and national production has reinforced this trend. Car manufacturers must therefore be very precise in their communication.
This is far from the first time that an automobile company has had to withdraw advertisements due to statements that are not true. However, a brand like Toyota has also been in trouble for an advertisement with a completely different message. Read more about it here .
