18+ American-Made Cars
Made in the U.S.A.
Buying American is important to many, and that certainly extends to one of life's biggest purchases: cars. But with so many parts, how do you determine just how "American" a car is? Every year, Cars.com releases an American-Made Index ranking cars and trucks. Each vehicle is analyzed in five categories:
Location of final assembly
Percentage of U.S. and Canadian parts
Country of origin for available engines
Country of origin for available transmissions
U.S. manufacturing employees relative to the automaker’s footprint
According to the index for last year's model cars, an an all-electric vehicle took the top spot for the second year in a row — and you may be surprised by the maker. Here are the 20 most American-made cars you can buy right now, including several you may mistakenly think of as imports.
Editor's note: This article was updated in March 2024.
20. Ford Expedition
Assembly location: Louisville, Kentucky
2021 ranking: 11
After being a comfortable middle-of-the-pack last year, the Expedition clung to the bottom of the top 20.
19. Dodge Durango
Assembly location: Detroit
2021 ranking: 36
18. Ford Bronco
Assembly location: Wayne, Michigan
2021 ranking: unranked
17. Ford Ranger
Assembly location: Wayne, Michigan
2021 ranking: 28
16. Acura TLX
Assembly location: Marysville, Ohio
2021 ranking: 13
15. Acura RDX
Assembly location: East Liberty or Marysville, Ohio
2021 ranking: 12
14. Acura MDX
Assembly location: East Liberty or Marysville, Ohio
2021 ranking: unranked
13. Chevrolet Colorado
Assembly location: Wentzville, Missouri
2021 ranking: 14
12. GMC Canyon
Assembly location: Wentzville, Missouri
2021 ranking: 15
11. Chevrolet Corvette
Assembly location: Bowling Green, Kentucky
2021 ranking: 5
Related: Legendary and Iconic Chevys Through the Decades
10. Honda Pilot
Assembly location: Lincoln, Alabama
2021 ranking: 8
Related: 30 Most Iconic SUVs of All Time
9. Honda Odyssey
Assembly location: Lincoln, Alabama
2021 ranking: 7
8. Honda Ridgeline
Assembly location: Lincoln, Alabama
2021 ranking: 6
7. Jeep Cherokee
Assembly location: Belvidere, Illinois
2021 ranking: 4
Related: 17 Things You Didn't Know About Jeeps
6. Tesla Model S
Assembly location: Fremont, California
2021 ranking: unranked
5. Tesla Model X
Assembly location: Fremont, California
2021 ranking: unranked
4. Honda Passport
Assembly location: Lincoln, Alabama
2021 ranking: 9
3. Lincoln Corsair
Assembly location: Louisville, Kentucky
2021 ranking: 64
2. Tesla Model 3
Assembly location: Fremont, California
2021 ranking: 1
The Tesla Model 3 was the first all-electric vehicle to rank first in the American-Made Index's 16-year history last year, bumped out of the lead only by another Tesla.
1. Tesla Model Y
Assembly location: Fremont, California and Austin, Texas
2021 ranking: 3
Elon Musk's company is the only automaker to claim 100% domestic production for all cars it sells in the U.S. For comparison, the industry average for the 2021 auto year was only 52%.
This article was originally published on Cheapism
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