Tesla extends reign at top of American Made Index

Tesla is still king when it comes to made-in-America vehicles, the 2023 American Made Index shows.

Cars.com released on Wednesday its annual American Made Index, an independent ranking of vehicles based on how American-made they are, measured by assembly location, parts content, engine origins, transmission origins and U.S. manufacturing workforce.

Tesla claimed first and second place for the second year in a row in addition to nabbing third and fourth. The Model Y led the charge, followed by the Model 3, Model X and Model S.

Tesla's focus on regional supply lines helps it stand out from the pack, said Jennifer Newman, editor-in-chief at Cars.com.

The Honda Passport, Volkswagen ID.4, Honda Odyssey, Acura MDX, Honda Ridgeline and Acura RDX rounded out the top 10.

For individual brands, Toyota had the most models make the list with 11, but Ford was close behind with 10. Honda boasted nine and Chevrolet and Nissan each had seven.

Sixteen of the AMI's top 100 vehicles were assembled in Michigan – more than any other state. Nearly half of the vehicles were assembled in four states: Michigan, Alabama, Tennessee and Kentucky.

Electric, hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles made up about a fifth of the list as well as half of the top ten. The list has seen a roughly 260 percent increase in electrified vehicles since 2020.

In a nationally representative sample of car owners fielded May 25-26 with 1,083 respondents, Cars.com found that three-quarters of consumers are worried about a recession in the next two years. Fifty-seven percent said recession rumors are causing them to change their spending habits and delay purchases.

Despite a hostile economic environment, however, 70 percent of in-market shoppers said they would be willing to pay between 10 and 30 percent more for a vehicle that keeps jobs in the U.S., Cars.com's survey of in-market shoppers, fielded May 24-30, found. About 38 percent of in-market shoppers said they would only consider a vehicle from an American manufacturer.

"These shoppers do see the value in having cars built in their communities and understand the importance that these jobs have to their local economies, their regional economies and the broader U.S. economy," Newman told Automotive News.

About half of the general population think EVs and hybrids will increase the amount of auto manufacturing in the U.S., according to Cars.com.

The Inflation Reduction Act, which Newman described as "probably the most significant" U.S. policy for the automotive industry in recent history, is incentivizing investments in U.S. production, especially of EVs.

"This is a year of transition," Newman said. "That law is in effect, but it's getting established. We're seeing automakers react to it."

The ID.4, which shifted production from a plant in Germany to Chattanooga, Tenn., last year, is a good example of the act's real-time impacts, Newman said. The ID.4 appeared on the AMI for the first time this year, debuting in sixth place. Newman said she expects the act's impacts to be the most important consideration as her team considers whether to make any adjustments to their ranking formula before next year's list.

About 39 percent of in-market shoppers surveyed said they are considering an EV. An additional 26 percent said they are maybe considering an EV. Only 8 percent said they are most interested in an EV, however.