TORONTO — A U.S. consumer group has filed complaints against two of the largest American automakers over advertising claims that their vehicles are made in the United States, even though they’re assembled in Canada.
The Made in the USA Foundation says it has filed two complaints with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission against Ford and Chrysler for misleading advertising.
The complaint targets a commercial for the Chrysler 300, assembled in Brampton, Ont. that contains the tag line “Imported from Detroit.”
The acclaimed “Imported from Detroit” campaign was introduced in February during the Superbowl and features the music of Detroit-born rapper Eminem as a Chrysler car veers through the gritty streets of Motown.
“The ads are clever, but they are false,” Made in the USA’s chairman Joel Joesph said in a statement. “The Chrysler 300 is assembled in Brampton, Ontario, Canada and often includes a Mexican-made engine. Last time I checked, Detroit is not in Canada. Chrysler is flat wrong . . . and we have asked the FTC to order corrective advertising.”