Buying a Vehicle for the Holidays? Do Your Research!

Finding products made by union workers in the U.S. can be tough, especially when it comes to buying a vehicle. If you’re getting a new vehicle for someone on your holiday gift list it’s easy to figure out if that car was made in the U.S. by union workers but you need to know where to look and how to decipher the info.  Start by picking a vehicle from the UAW’s 2021 Union-Built Buying Guide. Then, check the vehicle’s VIN – Vehicle Identification Number using the guide below.

How To Read Your VIN

If you look at the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), you can get a clue to where the vehicle was made. A VIN beginning with a 1, 4, or 5 indicates that the vehicle was assembled in the United States; a VIN beginning with a 2 indicates it was assembled in Canada; a VIN beginning with a 3 indicates the vehicle was made in Mexico.

The attached graphic breaks down the VIN even further. Take a look at the second spot on the VIN. That tells you who the manufacturer is. The 11th spot on the VIN tells you what plant your vehicle is from. Match the VIN code with the code on the chart and you will know if the vehicle is assembled in a plant that has workers who are earning a decent wage and helping their communities remain stable.