The Most American-Made Cars According To Cars.com

Cars.com is sharing its 18th annual American-Made Vehicles Index and three brands figure predominantly into the top 10.  A newcomer to the top 10 also makes its debut.

Most American-Made Vehicles

Cars.com says it compiled the 18th annual American-Made Index (AMI) after its experts independently evaluated and judged the vehicles that contribute the most to the U.S. economy for:

• manufacturing
• parts sourcing
• employment

This year, Cars.com experts considered 388 vehicles for the AMI list.  Vehicles were ranked on five factors: assembly location, parts sourcing as determined by the American Automobile Labeling Act, U.S. factory employment relative to vehicle production, engine sourcing and transmission sourcing.

The list includes 100 vehicles with the top 10 being:

This is third year that electric vehicle maker Tesla takes the top spot. It also sweeps the first four spots. 

Honda and Acura make a strong showing as well with five vehicles in the index's top 10.

"We're proud of our team of Honda associates in the U.S. who work together each day to create high quality products for our customers," said Bob Schwyn, senior vice president of Honda Development & Manufacturing of America, LLC. "Honda has been building automobiles in America for over 40 years, and our commitment to local production continues today as we invest in our U.S. plants and associates to build Honda and Acura EVs."

Honda says that more than two-thirds of the Honda vehicles sold in the U.S. in 2022 were made in America.   Honda builds three of its vehicles on the top ten at its plant in Lincoln, Alabama.

Volkswagen makes its debut on the index's top 10.

"The trends in this year's AMI reflect shifting consumer preferences. Only two sedans, Tesla's Model 3 and Model S, appear in the top 10, largely replaced by SUVs, now comprising almost 60% of the full list," said Jenni Newman, Cars.com editor-in-chief. "EVs, too, have experienced a meteoric rise since the first electrified vehicle, the Chevrolet Volt, made its only AMI top 10 appearance just five years ago. Half of the top 10 are EVs this year, and roughly 1 in every 5 vehicles on the full list comes electrified."

To see the full list of 100, visit Cars.com here. 

Consumers Want American-Made, Even If it Costs 30% More

Cars.com says according to its consumer survey, about half of shoppers say they will pay more for a vehicle that creates U.S. jobs, with the number of Americans willing to pay an additional 30% or more to support U.S. jobs, almost doubling year over year. Cars.com says vehicles made in the U.S. contribute to the economy from manufacturing, to aftermarket parts, repair and dealerships. 

In 2022, Cars.com reports that 14% of respondents believed a manufacturer must be headquartered in the U.S. to qualify as "substantially contributing to the U.S. economy". This year the number rose to 24% which researchers say is good news for mainstream U.S. automakers like GM, which has the most models appearing on the AMI, and Ford, tied for second. Still, Ford and GM's Chevrolet are notably absent from the top rankings for the first time in the AMI's almost two-decade history.

Besides Tesla, no U.S.-headquartered automaker appears on this year's list until No. 33.

Last year's No. 3, Ford's Lincoln Corsair, is the 2023 index's highest-ranking vehicle manufactured by a U.S.-based automaker that isn't Tesla, and it fell to No. 16 this year because of a drop in its domestic parts.

"Tesla debuted on the index just three years ago, but with headquarters and significant operations in the U.S., its rise shuffled the deck, displacing many traditional domestic manufacturers," said Newman. "More notably, we are seeing foreign-based manufacturers like Honda and Toyota move production to the U.S., particularly the South, challenging Americans' definitions of what constitutes 'American-made' and driving many of the changes in the AMI since last year."

Roughly Half Of AMI Vehicles Assembled In South

The South is now a major player in U.S. automotive manufacturing. Cars.com says just over half of the 2023 AMI vehicles were assembled in the South, which now has automotive manufacturing and assembly operations to rival the Midwest and Detroit's mantle as Motor City. 

Researchers report that the South recently gained plants in Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, Texas and Alabama, which as a state, is second only to Michigan in factory representation on this year's index.  

An Alabama Auto Plant associate works at the Honda assembly plant in Lincoln, AL, where three of the 2023 Cars.com American-Made Index top 10 are made. Photo Credit: Honda.