For the second year in a row, Tesla Inc.’s Model Y is the most American-made car, according to a ranking released Wednesday by Cars.com. In fact, Tesla Inc. swept the first four spots on the 100-car list of the vehicles with the most U.S. content, with Model Y, Model 3, Model X and Model S ranking No. 1 through No. 4, respectively.
To determine if a car qualifies for the American-Made Index, Cars.com evaluates the location of the car’s final assembly, the percentage of U.S. and Canadian parts using the American Automotive Labeling Act, the country of origin for available engines, the country of origin for available transmissions and U.S. manufacturing employees relative to the automaker’s footprint.
Cars.com evaluated 388 cars, with 100 making the cut for the annual index, including models from 11 automakers and 23 brands.
The complete list is available at Cars.com/ami. The top 10 includes:
- Tesla Model Y
- Tesla Model 3
- Tesla Model X
- Tesla Model S
- Honda Passport
- Volkswagen ID.4
- Honda Odyssey
- Acura MDX
- Honda Ridgeline
- Acura RDX
Jennifer Newman, editor-in-chief of Cars.com, said for the 2023 list, Cars.com representatives traveled to 437 in-person lot visits to confirm information and assess the cars on the list.
“We looked at almost 400 cars,” Newman said. “100 of these cars made the list. Whether you are number one or number 100, being on this list is significant because those vehicles are absolutely having a positive impact on the U.S. economy. Especially in those towns where people are employed, the plants are supporting so many people, number 100 is just as critical to the economy.”
Newman credits Tesla’s business model, which aims to keep production regional, for the success of its two year streak and four-place sweep at the top of the list. The Model Y, 3, X and S are all produced in Fremont, California, with the Y also produced in Austin, Texas, where Tesla is headquartered. Tesla claims 100% domestic production for all cars it sells in the United States, above the industry’s 52% average, according to Cars.com.
While neither General Motors Co. nor Ford Motor Co. placed a vehicle in the top 10, they had the largest share of models on the list, with GM accounting for 18% and Ford 17%, the latter up 5 percentage points from last year. Stellantis NV held 9% of the list, dominated by models from its Jeep brand.
GM’s Chevrolet Corvette, produced in Bowling Green, Kentucky, was the company’s highest ranking vehicle — and tops among the Detroit Three — at No. 19. GM’s next-highest vehicle, the GMC Canyon, fell to No. 33 from No. 12 on the 2022 AMI.
Ford’s all-electric F-150 Lightning, produced at the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in Dearborn, made its first appearance on the Cars.com list as the Dearborn automaker’s highest-ranking model at No. 38. Stellantis’ highest-ranking model, at No. 21, was the Dodge Durango, which is assembled at the Detroit Assembly Complex-Jefferson.
Michigan ranked as the state with the most production, with 16% of vehicles on the index assembled in the state. Following behind are Alabama and Tennessee with 12% and 11%, respectively. Despite this, the South is the regional leader of AMI vehicle production with 56% — an increase of 19 percentage points since 2020, according to Newman. In comparison, 41% of vehicles on the index are built in the Midwest.
A 2023 Cars.com survey, which sampled 1,013 nationally-representative in-market car buyers, found that 48% are willing to pay more for a car if it creates U.S. jobs. When asked how much more they would be willing to pay for a $40,000 car if they knew it kept jobs in the United States, 26% were willing to pay 30%, or $12,000, more. In addition, 44% were willing to pay between $4,000 and $8,000 more for the same car. Shoppers strongly consider whether or not a car is made by an American manufacturer, with 38% of those surveyed agreeing they only consider buying cars by American brands.
The only four slots Tesla secured on the list were at the top, while Volkswagen debuted on the American-Made Index with two placements, one at No. 6 with the ID.4 EV. In 2022, Volkswagen moved the production of the ID-4 from Germany to Chattanooga, Tenn. Honda and its luxury car line, Acura, secured the five remaining placements in the top 10. Newman said she believes these placements speak to the purpose of the American-Made Index: to inform consumers about what cars are most impacting the U.S. economy.
“How many people would assume that one of these Hondas is in fact a more American vehicle than the (Chevrolet) Corvette or the Ford F-150?” Newman said. “Yet, here it is, quite a few of them actually making that top 10. Americans are willing to pay more for vehicles that are made in the U.S. and so this list helps to sort of get a little deeper into which vehicles are built here and helping to build the US economy.”
afifelski@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @annafifelski