Tesla dominates 'most American-made' vehicles list
Tesla Model Y tops Cars.com's American-Made Index
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Tesla Model 3 has been dethroned as the most American-Made vehicle, but Elon Musk will not be upset about it.
The Tesla Model Y has moved past its stablemate to the top of the Cars.com annual study of vehicles and their impact on the U.S economy.
The report compiles several factors including the final manufacturing location of the vehicle and its parts, plus American jobs created by its production. Components sourced from Canada are included, however, as they fall under the criteria of the American Automobile Labeling Act, but U.S. assembly of engines and transmissions is weighted to compensate.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}All the Model Ys sold in the U.S. are built at Tesla’s factories in Fremont, California, and Austin, Texas.
Production of the Model Y began at Tesla's Austin, Texas, factory this year. (SUZANNE CORDEIRO/AFP via Getty Images)
The Model 3 only slipped to second place ahead of the Louisville, Kentucky-built Lincoln Corsair compact crossover. The Corsair moved up from 64th on the 2021 list, largely due to its engine production shifting from Spain to the U.S.
The Montgomery, Alabama-made Honda Passport SUV climbed from ninth to fourth and the Tesla Model X and Tesla Model S ranked fifth and sixth to round out a dominant performance by the all-electric brand.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Tesla Model S has always been exclusively built at Tesla's Fremont, California, factory. (Tesla)
"Tesla is the only major automaker to claim 100% domestic production for all cars it sells in the U.S., well above the industry’s roughly 52% average," Cars.com editor-in-chief Jenni Newman said.
Musk has often criticized President Joe Biden's inclination for praising the investments in electric vehicles being made by the legacy American automakers while not giving Tesla much credit for building and selling the most EVs in the U.S. by a wide margin today.
Tesla's Austin "Gigafactory" officially opened in April. (SUZANNE CORDEIRO/AFP via Getty Images)
An associated survey of car shoppers found that 40% felt that buying an American-made vehicle was a more important factor for them this year, which Cars.com stated was influenced by the pandemic.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}THE MOST-POWERFUL AMERICAN V8 ENGINES
The Jeep Cherokee produced in Belvidere, Illinois, finished seventh, while Honda’s Ridgeline, Odyssey and Pilot, which are all manufactured in Alabama alongside the Passport, rounded out the top 10.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Chevrolet Corvette, which is assembled in Bowling Green, Kentucky, was the highest-ranking General Motors model in 11th and was followed by the Wentzville, Missouri-made Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon midsize pickups that are built on the same platform.
The full Cars.com American-Made Index comprises 95 light vehicles out of the 379 distinct models currently available, with most not making the cut due to a variety of disqualifying criteria, including country of origin.