The 2023 Cars.com American-Made Index is once again dominated by Tesla. And, as in the previous year, the Tesla Model Y topped the website’s rankings, becoming the most American-made vehicle on the market today.
Tesla dominates the American Manufacturing Index
For 2023, Cars.com’s American-Made Index ranks qualified automobiles made and purchased in the United States. The company carefully evaluated 388 vehicles sold in the US before selecting and ranking the top 100 for the index. The index evaluates vehicles based on five important criteria:
- Assembly location
- Parts content
- Engine origin
- Transmission origin
- US manufacturing workforce
Tesla’s outstanding results this year can be attributed in part to the company’s increased workforce at the Gigafactory Texas, where the Model Y is manufactured. Even vehicles that didn’t make last year’s list, such as the Model S and Model X, earned spots in this year’s Top 10, thanks to Tesla’s growing US workforce.
Electric vehicles shine in US manufacturing index
The Tesla trio and the Volkswagen ID.4 are the only electric vehicles in the Top 10 of the 2023 American-Made Index, which is a major step forward. While other vehicles on the list, such as the Honda Passport, Honda Odyssey and Acura RDX, still use internal combustion engines, the presence of several Hondas in this year’s index can be attributed to the manufacturer’s Alabama plant, which produces vehicles such as the Passport and Odyssey.
Other popular electric vehicles, such as the Ford F-150 Lightning, however, are ranked much lower in the index, at 38th place. Internal combustion engine vehicles dominate the rest of the list. In particular, the Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV ranks 92nd. The Nissan Leaf, on the other hand, came 93rd. Tesla unquestionably occupies the top four places for the most vehicles manufactured in the USA, and is the only American carmaker to feature in the top ten of Cars.com’s 2023 American-Made Index.
Tesla’s unwavering success
Although many people are still unaware that Tesla is an American carmaker, the company has consistently maintained its position as the most American car brand in recent years. This success can be attributed to Tesla’s vertical integration strategy, whereby the carmaker manufactures a large majority of its parts in the US for North American automobiles.
The recently published AMI 2023 highlights Tesla’s dominance, with the top four vehicles all coming from the Texan manufacturer:
- Tesla Model Y
- Tesla Model 3
- Tesla Model X
- Tesla Model S
The government has recently encouraged this approach, particularly in battery production, by requiring an increasing percentage of batteries to be made in North America and materials to be sourced from countries with free trade agreements.
Tesla’s continued dominance of the American-Made Index demonstrates the company’s commitment to creating American jobs and contributing to the US economy while producing innovative and sustainable electric vehicles. As the auto industry evolves, Tesla’s performance serves as a model for those seeking to localize manufacturing and advance the electric vehicle revolution.
