Study: Tesla Model Y ranks as ‘most American vehicle’ for third consecutive year
Automotive experts independently evaluated more than 400 vehicles to determine which was contributing most to the U.S. economy in terms of manufacturing, parts sourcing and employment, and the car that came out on top this year was also the winner last year and the year before.
That car would be the Tesla Model Y, researchers at Cars.com say.
In 2023, Tesla claimed the top four spots on Cars.com’s American-Made Index, with the Model Y, Model S, Model X and Model 3 all landing in the top five; the Model X dropped to ninth place and the Model 3 to 21st place this year due to changes in workforce and domestic parts content, respectively, experts indicated.
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Model Y vehicles are assembled in Fremont – where the Model X and Model S are also assembled – and Austin, Texas.
Another car that contributes significantly to the American economy, experts found, is the Honda Passport, the automaker’s crossover SUV.
The vehicles are assembled at Honda’s plant in Lincoln, Alabama, which is the same location where the fifth and sixth “most American vehicles” are produced: the Honda Odyssey and Honda Ridgeline.
Cars.com’s top 10 “most American vehicles” can be viewed below:
Rank | Make/model | U.S. assembly location |
1. | Tesla Model Y | Fremont, California and Austin, Texas |
2. | Honda Passport | Lincoln, Alabama |
3. | Volkswagen ID.4 | Chattanooga, Tennessee |
4. | Tesla Model S | Fremont, California |
5. | Honda Odyssey | Lincoln, Alabama |
6. | Honda Ridgeline | Lincoln, Alabama |
7. | Toyota Camry | Georgetown, Kentucky |
8. | Jeep Gladiator | Toledo, Ohio |
9. | Tesla Model X | Fremont, California |
10. | Lexus TX | Princeton, Indiana |
Cars.com experts say that U.S.-based auto production facilities are up 144% since 2020.
In addition, domestic auto manufacturing unionization efforts continue to be a “hot topic,” especially in the upcoming presidential election.
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“Pundits champion homegrown corporations as the key to investments in local and state economies,” Cars.com American-Made Index lead researcher Patrick Masterson said. “However, when it comes to the global automotive industry, the badge on the hood doesn’t always reveal a vehicle’s economic contributions…in fact, sixty-six percent of vehicles on the American-Made Index come from foreign automakers that support communities in Alabama, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio.”
Over half of the vehicles on the 2024 list were assembled in the southern U.S., data suggested, with the majority coming from Alabama; 15 different vehicles are produced in the communities of Huntsville, Lincoln, Madison, Montgomery and Vance, and several major foreign automakers — Toyota, Honda, Hyundai and Mercedes-Benz — employ thousands of Alabamians.
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“Notably, none of these automakers use [unionized] labor,” experts said. “Only thirty-nine percent of vehicles on this year’s index were built by the union [but] that number could change as factory workers weigh joining the United Auto Workers union.”
To view Cars.com’s full American-Made Index, click here.
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