17-06-2025
The most American-made vehicles come from Tesla, foreign brands
Some of the most "American-made" vehicles you can buy carry foreign nameplates, per a new 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 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: 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 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 list is No. 22, the Ford F-150 Lightning, which has only 45% U.S. content, Masterson said.
Here are the Top 10
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
