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Tesla has the most American-made cars, and it might be a tariff trump card.
The Elon Musk-led automaker has swept Cars.com’s list of the “American-made” cars, with the Model 3 taking the title of the most American vehicle.
The automaker’s Model Y, S, and X vehicles took the other spots in the top four, with no vehicles from Detroit rivals Ford and GM cracking the top 10. Cars from several European and Asia automakers with production facilities in the US, such as VW, Kia, and Honda, featured high on the list.
Every year, Cars.com’s American-made index ranks cars sold in the US by how much of the vehicle and its parts are made in the country. The index examines factors including the percentage of American parts, location of final assembly, and the origin of components such as transmissions and engines.
Tesla vehicles have topped the list for the past four years, suggesting the company is in a strong position to deal with the tariff turmoil that has gripped the auto industry.
Here are the top 10, as ranked by Cars.com:
- 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
The Trump administration unveiled 25% tariffs on imported cars and vehicle parts in March, raising fears of supply chain chaos and soaring new vehicle prices.
Tesla already manufactures all of the cars it sells in the US in factories in California and Texas, and its dominance of the American-made index suggests the company is less exposed to the tariffs on car parts than some of its rivals.
The Model 3 in particular has risen from 21st on last year’s index, thanks to a 2024 redesign that saw the percentage of American and Canadian parts in the car rise from 47% to 75%.
By contrast, analysts have said that Detroit giants Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis risk being particularly hard hit by the tariffs due to their reliance on factories in Mexico.
Analysts for Cars.com warned that the tariffs are having the greatest impact on entry-level vehicles that are priced under $30,000, with the number of low-cost cars on the market falling 13% in May compared to last year.
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