A United States consumer lobby group is taking Chrysler to task over advertisements depicting the Chrysler 300 as "Imported from Detroit." The luxury sedan is assembled in Brampton, Ont.

In a complaint filed to the United States Federal Trade Commission on Monday, the non-profit Made in USA Foundation argues that "Chrysler's false advertising is likely to cause substantial injury to consumers who seek to buy U.S.-made vehicles."

"I don't think Detroit's in Canada, the last time I checked," said Joel Joseph, chair of the California-based foundation.

Chrysler's "Imported from Detroit" campaign started in February with a two-minute Super Bowl ad featuring Detroit-born rapper Eminem driving through the city in a Chrysler 200, which is assembled in Detroit. "When it comes to luxury, it's as much about where it's from, as who it's for," says a deep-voiced narrator.

The campaign hit the Made in USA Foundation's radar in May when Chrysler extended the "Imported from Detroit" moniker to the Chrysler 300. Detroit Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh and fashion designer John Varvatos are similarly depicted cruising gritty American streetscapes in the Ontario-made vehicles. Often, the cars are powered by Mexican-made engines. "The ads are clever, but they are false," writes Mr. Joseph in a prepared release.

The Chrysler Town and Country minivan, which is assembled in Windsor, Ont., has similarly appeared in ads sporting the Imported from Detroit slogan.

"'Imported from Detroit' is sort of a fanciful reference, it was never intended as a literal reference," said Chrysler spokesman Michael Palese. "It's more of an image and marketing type program."

The company has played with geography in its ads before. In a 1974 Chrysler ad campaign featuring actor Ricardo Montalban, the company boasted of upholstering its cars with "soft Corinthian leather." Rather than coming from the Greek municipality of Corinth, however, the leather came from New Jersey.

The Made in USA Foundation's petition comes just as U.S. President Barack Obama is touting a US$447-billion jobs plan replete with a "Buy American" clause that would prohibit the use of foreignmade manufactured goods in public works projects.

As U.S. auto commentators are quick to note, however, the nationality of a modern car is notoriously hard to trace. "American" cars like the Ford Fusion and the Buick Regal are made in Mexico and Germany, respectively. The Japanese-manufactured Toyota Camry, Sienna and Tundra meanwhile, are comprised of 80% U.S. parts.

On Monday, the Made in USA foundation also filed a complaint against Ford for a radio ad in which the Oakville, Ont.-built Ford Edge is referred to as an "American car."

Ironically, the Made in USA Foundation was created in 1989 by a partial grant from the Ford Motor Co.