A new ranking of the most American vehicles puts Tesla at the top
As future US President Donald Trump threatens to impose a 25% surtax on all products imported from Canada and Mexico upon his return to the White House on January 20, 2025, a new study highlights the 25 most American vehicles on the market, i.e. those assembled in the USA with the most locally manufactured parts.
This one comes to us from American University's Kogod School of Business, located in Washington. Before going any further, it's important to clarify that “locally manufactured parts” can come from both the U.S. and Canada, as the American Automobile Labeling Act requires automakers to document the percentage of U.S. and Canadian parts in their vehicles without distinguishing between the two.
This is just one of the seven criteria considered here, the others being engine, transmission, workforce, research and development, capital expenditure and profit margin.
Tesla dominates the ranking, with the Model 3 Performance in first place, followed by the Model Y and the Cybertruck. The Model S and Model X are in fourth place, tied with the Ford Mustang GT.
However, study leader Frank DuBois notes that Tesla still employs a fair number of Chinese parts. Excluding motors and batteries, the Model 3 Long Range in second place would have 40% Chinese content. In the case of the famous Cybertruck, it would be 20%.
The rest of the top 10 is more varied, and includes several non-American models, such as the Honda Passport, Odyssey, Ridgeline and Pilot, as well as the Volkswagen ID.4. Also of note are the GMC Canyon, Chevrolet Colorado and Lincoln Corsair, whereas a similar study by Cars.com in June 2024 didn't place any General Motors or Ford vehicles in the top 20.
By the way, if you want to know more about the provenance of a particular vehicle, start by looking at the VIN number. In most cases, the first character indicates the country where the vehicle was assembled. The USA is 1, 4 or 5, Canada is 2 and Mexico is 3. Japan is identified by a J and South Korea by a K.
