By Patrick Coffee

Carmaker Stellantis is altering several new ads that described its automobiles as "built" in the U.S. to avoid confusion and better comply with Federal Trade Commission regulations regarding "made in America" claims, according to a company spokeswoman.

New versions of the ads set to begin running later this week will state that the cars are "assembled" in the U.S., the spokeswoman said. Stellantis has in the meantime pulled the ads in question from YouTube, though some have continued to appear on television networks such as ESPN while the company makes its changes.

Brands looking to promote their products as American-made in light of President Trump's tariffs on imported goods are confronting FTC standards requiring that such products must be "all or virtually all" manufactured in the U.S.

Stellantis, an international auto conglomerate based in the Netherlands, last weekend released three ads promoting its Jeep, Dodge and Ram brands in a campaign titled "American Born."

The Jeep ad recalls the sport-utility vehicle's history in World War II, stating that certain models are built in factories in Ohio and Michigan and calling Jeep "America's most patriotic brand."

An ad for the Dodge brand says that its cars are built in Detroit. The Ram ad describes its vehicles as "built from the ground up in America."

The consumer advocacy group Truth in Advertising on Tuesday sent Stellantis a letter criticizing its ads' claims.

"Stellantis has every right to boast of its brands' assembly plants in the United States that create American jobs and strengthen the U.S. economy, but it cannot illegally embellish the amount of manufacturing that takes place domestically," the letter read.

Write to Patrick Coffee at patrick.coffee@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

April 09, 2025 17:05 ET (21:05 GMT)

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