The most American-made vehicles come from Tesla, foreign brands
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A group of Tesla vehicles lined up in front of Superchargers. Courtesy: Tesla
Some of the most "American-made" vehicles you can buy carry foreign nameplates, per a new Cars.com survey, underscoring the complexity of the global auto industry.
Why it matters: The report, now in its 20th year, is more relevant than ever, landing amid rising geopolitical tensions over trade and tariffs.
- Where vehicles are assembled — and where their parts come from — is driving consumer behavior, for both patriotic and pocketbook reasons, they found.
The big picture: In a recent Cars.com survey of shoppers, more than half say they've accelerated their vehicle purchase timeline to avoid tariff-driven price hikes.
- 51% say tariffs have influenced them to seek out American-made vehicles.
- "Patriotism is a perk, but cost consciousness is the driving force," the company said in a press release.
By the numbers: Tesla continues to produce the most made-in-America vehicles for the fourth consecutive year, according to the survey.
- The rest of the Top 10 are primarily foreign brands (Honda, Kia and Volkswagen).
- The only "American" brand that qualified for the Top 10 is the Jeep Gladiator pickup truck, which is produced by Stellantis, a multinational carmaker based in the Netherlands.
- International automakers account for 67 of the 99 qualifying vehicles in the American Made Index.
How it works: Cars.com uses a proprietary formula that includes a weighted assessment of each vehicle's location of assembly, origin of their parts and local employment counts.
- "American-made" parts include those manufactured in the U.S. or Canada, under a 1994 content labeling law passed by Congress.
What they're saying: "You have to look past the badge on the hood," Patrick Masterson, lead researcher for Cars.com's American-Made Index, tells Axios.
- "Auto manufacturing is complicated."
The intrigue: Alabama produces more "American-made" vehicles than even Michigan, Indiana or Ohio, states normally associated with the U.S. auto industry.
- Alabama has four big factories producing a variety of models: Mercedes-Benz, Hyundai, Honda and a Toyota-Mazda joint venture.
The intrigue: The survey comes one day after Ford Motor aired a spicy new TV commercial touting its commitment to U.S. manufacturing, and criticizing competitors for outsourcing.
Yes, but: Ford's highest-ranking vehicle on the Cars.com list is No. 22, the Ford F-150 Lightning, which has only 45% U.S. content, Masterson said.
Here are the Top 10 models on Cars.com's American-Made Index for 2025:
- Tesla Model 3
- Tesla Model Y
- Tesla Model S
- Tesla Model X
- Jeep Gladiator
- Kia EV6
- Honda Ridgeline
- Honda Odyssey
- Honda Passport
- Volkswagen ID.4
