Where Are Chevrolets Built?

When shopping for your next vehicle, you'll consider many factors, including the price, number of seats, and infotainment screen size. One factor that may be important to you is the vehicle's manufacturing location. In this guide, our team at Victorville Chevrolet will detail where Chevrolets are built, how you can learn the manufacturing location of a specific model, and why you might want to consider a vehicle's manufacturing plant before your next purchase.

The Origins of Chevrolet: A Legacy of Manufacturing Excellence

Chevrolet is one of the best-established vehicle manufacturers, dating back to 1911 when the founders, Louis Chevrolet and William C. Durant, launched the headquarters in Detroit, Michigan. Before long, the Chevrolet brand was a giant in American automotive manufacturing. Over the following decades, Chevrolet produced some of the most well-known vehicles in history, including the iconic Chevrolet Corvette and powerful Chevrolet Silverado. 

Today, as part of GM, Chevrolet serves an international audience through manufacturing plants worldwide. This spread allows Chevrolet to reach its broad customer base and reduce shipping times by using assembly plants closest to those customers. For instance, because Chevrolet models are so popular in the United States, there are 11 manufacturing plants nationwide to meet demand.

Are Chevrolets Made in America? Manufacturing Plants in the United States

Chevrolet manufacturing and assembly plants are located across the United States, but most are in the Midwest and South. The three largest plants are in Arlington, Texas; Roanoke, Indiana; and Wentzville, Missouri, each with over 4,000 employees. These are also some of the oldest Chevrolet manufacturing plants, dating back to 1954, 1986, and 1983, respectively.

Each manufacturing plant typically focuses on a few specific Chevrolet models. For instance, the Arlington, Texas, plant focuses on the Chevrolet Suburban and Chevrolet Tahoe, while the plant in Kansas City, Kansas, focuses on the Chevrolet Malibu. Below is a list of all the current Chevrolet manufacturing plants in the United States.

International Chevrolet Manufacturing Plants

Beyond those in the United States, there are several other Chevrolet plants in North America and a few more overseas. These manufacturing plants build models that are popular here in the United States, such as the Camaro and Equinox, and models that are sold exclusively overseas, such as the Chevrolet Aveo. There are several current Chevrolet manufacturing plants worldwide.

Determining the Place of Manufacture for Your Chevrolet

If you want to know where your Chevy model was made, there are various ways you can find out. You'll typically get a Chevrolet Buyer's Guide when you buy your Chevrolet from a dealership, and it contains information that includes the model's gas mileage and MSRP. Here, you should also see where that Chevy model was assembled and where all the parts came from.

If you no longer have your Chevrolet Buyer's Guide, you can also determine the manufacturing location through the vehicle's vehicle identification number (VIN). Every vehicle has a unique VIN, the equivalent of a vehicle fingerprint, and each VIN contains 17 characters, typically a mix of numbers and capital letters. Each character provides information about the vehicle, including where it was built, the model year, the engine size, and more. Here's what each of the 17 characters represents:

• First character: Where the vehicle was built
• Second and third characters: The manufacturer
• Fourth to eighth characters: The vehicle's brand, engine size, and type
• Ninth character: Security code
• 10th character: Vehicle's model year
• 11th character: Vehicle's assembly plant
• 12th to 17th characters: Vehicle's serial number

You can find your vehicle's VIN by looking at the dashboard on the driver's side of your car, where it meets the windshield. You may also see the VIN on the driver's side door, on the door post where the door latches when closed. Your insurance card, vehicle title, or registration should also feature the VIN.

Once you find the VIN, you can use it to determine the manufacturing location. If the first number is one, four, or five, the vehicle was built in the United States; those whose VIN starts with a three were made in Mexico. You can also use tools such as the VIN Decoder from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to learn what your vehicle's VIN represents.

Why a Vehicle's Manufacturing Location Matters

There are several reasons why you may want to know the manufacturing location of a car. Vehicles produced closer to home may have reduced ownership costs, as it's easier to source replacement parts. They'll also typically have lower shipping and import fees, which can reduce the final price when buying a new model.

Another reason is if you wish to support domestic manufacturing. Purchasing a vehicle made in the United States helps to boost the local economy and increases the number of available jobs. You may also worry about labor practices overseas or the carbon footprint caused by long-distance shipping and, therefore, prefer to purchase a vehicle made closer to home.

Explore the Latest Chevrolet Models at Victorville Chevrolet

If you're interested in exploring one of the latest Chevrolet models and you're in the Victorville, California, area, please visit us at Victorville Chevrolet. One of our team members would be happy to take you for a test-drive or answer any questions, including any regarding the manufacturing location of these models. As a Chevrolet dealership, we're proud of the number of Chevrolet manufacturing plants located across the United States. Contact us today to schedule a visit or stop by at your earliest convenience.