(WWJ) An American brand dominates the annual cars.com American Made index, but it’s not a Detroit Three brand.
“Ultimately, Tesla took the top four spots,” says study author Patrick Masterson. “It’s not unprecedented. That’s happened before.”
This is the second time that Tesla’s four products did a clean sweep. The order has changed. This year the Model 3 is tops, followed by the Model Y, Model S and Model X. The Model Y finished in the top position in 2024.
All Teslas sold in the U.S. are built in either California or Texas. The parts that go into the vehicle often come from plants here in the U.S.
“The parts content percentage is high for all of their vehicles,” says Masterson. “But, it is also about their manufacturing workforce. That’s one of our five components. Getting the people on the ground actually making the vehicles. They were setting the standard.”
The five factors are: Assembly location, parts sourcing as determined by the American Automobile Labeling act, U.S. factory employment related to vehicle production, engine sourcing and transmission sourcing.
“As import tariffs shake up the auto industry and redefine consumer priorities, our 2025 American-Made Index offers a timely snapshot of which vehicles and automakers are truly driving U.S. economic impact,” said Masterson. About 25% of the more than 400 vehicles on sale in the U.S. made this year’s AMI, and whether a vehicle is No. 1 or No. 99, it makes a significant contribution to the U.S. economy.”
Masterson declined to comment on whether tariffs would have an impact on future lists, saying there’s too much that can change and pointing out that production decisions and sourcing of parts tends to move at a “glacial pace.”
Honda had the most vehicles in the top 20. The Detroit Three product with the highest ranking was the Jeep Gladiator, which finished 5th.
Masterson says consumers need to go beyond just the label on the hood of the vehicle.
“The Chevrolet Silverado 1500 is made in three countries, actually. Not just Mexico, but Roanoke, Indiana.”
One issue of extreme interest, that could change with tariffs is vehicle parts content. The average American content of the vehicles on the list is around 70 percent. In 1986 it was closer to 84 percent, part of a steady slide over the thirty years cars.com has been doing the index.
“When we first started doing the index in 1996, the highest was like 90-95 percent. So those parts content percentages have changed.”
Masterson says no vehicle they’ve studied has ever hit 100% American content.