As a performance enthusiast, racer or street rodder, do you really care where your performance parts are being made? My experience has been that different market segments within the overall performance aftermarket seem to answer this question very differently. Many only care that you give them the very best products possible at the best price (especially in the current economic conditions), while others are staunchly opposed to putting foreign made products in their good old American muscle cars – even to the point that they will pay more or give up some product benefits within reason. I find it interesting that many of the companies that wave the “Made In The USA” banner so vehemently are the very same ones that are doing significant manufacturing outside of this country. After all, “Made In The USA” doesn’t mean their parts are not manufactured in China, Mexico, India, etc before being partially assembled inside our borders.

If “Made In The USA” is something that is really important to you – I would urge you to not just accept a logo or statement at face value. Do some real research before laying out your hard earned cash. Dig deep enough and you might be very surprised at what you find.

So let’s hear your opinion; does “Made In The USA” impact your performance parts purchase decisions more than price, value, etc? If you want to read more about this topic check out a recent article on Searchautoparts.com: Made in USA still has cache, but country takes a back seat to globalization.

Chris Douglas
Director of Marketing
COMP Performance Group™