Want To Support American-Made Cars? Buy a Tesla
Do you want to buy American? Buying a Tesla may be your best bet.
Written by Andrew Kidd
Reviewed by Kathleen Flear
Who makes the most "American" cars in the U.S.? The answer might surprise you, because it definitely isn't one of the Detroit Big Three—it's
Tesla
.While the Big Three—General Motors, Ford and technically Chrysler—have long touted that they employ (unionized) Americans to build many of their vehicles, it doesn't mean they necessarily have the most American-made components.
But Tesla has topped
Cars.com
's 2022 American-Made Index, which ranks 95 vehicles based on their assembly location, parts content, engine and transmission origins as well as workforce.What is the most American-made car?
Tesla ranked in the top spot in the 2022 index, retaining its rank from the previous year's list. Tesla is the only major automaker that produces all of the vehicles it sells in the U.S. on American soil.
The Tesla Model Y topped the list at No. 1, jumping up from third place in the previous year's ranking. The Tesla Model 3 is No. 2 on the list, while the Tesla Model X and Model S are No. 5 and No. 6, respectively.
Ford's Lincoln brand took the No. 3 spot with its Lincoln Corsair, while Honda's Passport claimed the No. 4 rank. In fact, Jeep and Lincoln were the only other American brands in the top 10, with the Jeep Cherokee at No. 7. Honda's Ridgeline, Odyssey and Pilot came in at No. 8, No. 9 and No. 10.
You don't see your first General Motors vehicle until No. 11 with the Chevy Corvette, followed by the GMC Canyon and Chevy Colorado at No. 12 and No. 13. Looking for Ford? They show up at No. 17, 18 and 20 with their Ranger, Bronco and Expedition, respectively—behind three Acura vehicles, with the Dodge Durango thrown in at No. 19.
In fact, most "domestic" vehicles from American brands seem to fall in the bottom 75 of the list.
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Why aren’t there more American companies on the list?
One of the reasons American automakers move their manufacturing operations to other countries like Mexico is because they want to keep the production of their vehicles affordable—for their bottom line, not necessarily the consumer.
Mexico, for instance, was an attractive market for American automakers because of cheaper parts and non-union labor.
What about the least-American vehicle?
While the list isn't exhaustive and doesn't really go into detail on the "least-American" vehicles, the publication notes that the Ford Maverick and Mustang Mach-E are their most prominent examples.
Both meet the fewest criteria on the American-made index, being manufactured in Mexico. GM and Stellantis also make much of their American-sold lineups outside of the states.
What if I want to buy American?
If you want to buy something that's decidedly American-made, you can't go wrong with purchasing a Tesla.
But keep in mind that Tesla CEO Elon Musk is not on the side of union workers; Musk is a vocal opponent of unionization among Tesla's workforce. Musk says unionization at Tesla is unnecessary because the
company
definitely
values
its
workers
.Also, Tesla vehicles aren't as affordable as they used to be. The company has been steadily raising the prices of its vehicle lineup and is no longer eligible for a federal EV tax credit.
If you want to support American (and Canadian) workers and labor unions, check out
this list
of union-made American cars and trucks.MORE: Elon Musk Thinks Tesla Was Unfairly Attacked in the New Infrastructure Bill
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