American Muscle: Tesla Surprises as Top "Made in USA" Automaker
It’s official: the Trump administration has pulled the trigger on a 25% tariff on all cars and trucks not made in the U.S. While it’s upsetting some of our most prominent trade partners in Canada and the EU, the goal is to raise $100 billion in revenue for the American economy.
The worry amongst Americans is that they’ll have to eat that cost when buying a new car because somebody has to pay that 25%. Which brings us to the next question, “Which cars are made in America?”
Well, a recent ranking from Cars.com might as well be called the Tesla top 10 because three of their vehicles made the cut.
Tesla Tops List of 10 Most 'American' Cars On the Market
Is Tesla the #1 selling car in America? Not quite. Currently, the Toyota RAV4 enjoys that coveted position. It is, however, one of the most American-made cars.
The criteria used by Cars.com is as follows:
Location of final assembly
Percentage of U.S. parts
Engine’s country of origin
Transmission’s country of origin
Number of U.S. manufacturing employees
Teslas are assembled in Fremont, California, and Austin. The Model Y, Tesla's most popular car, is the vehicle that took pride of place in spot number one.
On its heels was the Honda Passport, assembled in Lincoln, AL. Then, we had the Volkswagen ID.4, assembled in Chattanooga, TN, before the Model S popped up again in fourth place.
So, is Tesla the most American-made car? At present, it sure seems like it. Here’s the complete list:
Tesla Model Y
Honda Passport
Volkswagen ID.4
Tesla Model S
Honda Odyssey
Honda Ridgeline
Toyota Camry
Jeep Gladiator
Tesla Model X
Lexus TX
What About Previous Years?
Before people start assuming this is some sort of Trump/Musk gang-up on the American public, check out the top five rankings on Cars.com, long before Trump started his second term:
Tesla Model Y
Tesla Model 3
Tesla Model X
Tesla Model S
Honda Passport
There’s the Honda Passport again, holding steady just behind Tesla.
What Are the Least American Cars?
Out of curiosity, would you like to know which models Cars.com ranked as the least American-made in 2024?
Surprisingly, the Ford Maverick and Bronco Sport are made in Mexico. If you like the idea of a hefty Buick, the Encore GX and Envista are produced in South Korea.
Then, you have the GMC Sierra 1500, manufactured in Mexico. We can round things out with another truck, the Chevrolet Silverado 1500, which, although its final assembly is in the U.S., it’s still manufactured in either Mexico or Ontario.
What Will You Buy?
As with everything else pertaining to Donald Trump and Elon Musk, it comes with a high level of contention and debate. Would you invest in a Model Y? We suppose, the good news is, if you’re firmly anti-Musk, then the Honda Passport is a viable option.
Still, it’s nice to support our own economy, right? Love him or hate him, you have to wonder about Trump’s “put America first” campaign. Is there really any harm in that? Let’s wait and see.
In the meantime, we’ll be monitoring this story and many others. Be sure to keep coming back for an easily digestible, unbiased summary of all the goings-on in our nation.