With July 4 on the horizon, car-shopping marketplace Cars.com unveiled its 19th annual American-Made Index, evaluating more than 400 vehicle models to compile a list of the 100 vehicles contributing most to the U.S. economy in manufacturing, parts sourcing and employment.

But you might notice something a little different about this year’s list.

Six of the top 10 vehicles and 15 of the top 20 are from foreign brands.

Tesla’s Model Y, built in Austin, Texas and Fremont, Calif., again held the No.1 spot as the most American vehicle for the third consecutive year, but the Alabama-built Honda Passport and Tennessee-built Volkswagen ID.4 were right behind.

Tesla, which swept the top four positions in 2023, still had three top-10 entries, with the Model S at No. 4 and Model X at No. 9, as well as the Model 3 at No. 21.

But the rest of the top 10 entries were Honda’s Odyssey and Ridgeline — the most American-made minivan and pickup truck — at fifth and sixth, the Toyota Camry and Jeep Gladiator seventh and eighth, and the Lexus TX debuting at No. 10.

“Americans have a clear desire to use their dollars to purchase U.S.-created products that contribute to the local, regional and national economy, according to a Cars.com survey,” said Patrick Masterson, lead researcher for Cars.com’s American-Made Index. “However, it always surprises car shoppers that the badge on the hood doesn’t always reveal a vehicle’s economic contributions.

“In fact, 66% of the vehicles on Cars.com’s 2024 American-Made Index come from foreign automakers that support communities in Alabama, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio.

Rk. Make/Model U.S. Assembly Location(s)
1. Tesla Model Y Fremont, Calif.; Austin, Texas
2. Honda Passport Lincoln, Ala.
3. Volkswagen ID.4 Chattanooga, Tenn.
4. Tesla Model S Fremont, Calif.
5. Honda Odyssey Lincoln, Ala.
6. Honda Ridgeline Lincoln, Ala.
7. Toyota Camry Georgetown, Ky.
8. Jeep Gladiator Toledo, Ohio
9. Tesla Model X Fremont, Calif.
10. Lexus TX Princeton, Ind.

SOURCE: Cars Commerce

On clear trend is toward vehicles manufactured in the South, home of more than half of those on the list in that category, compared to 45% assembled in the Midwest.

Alabama is at top of that list, with 15 of the 100 vehicles produced in Huntsville, Lincoln, Madison, Montgomery and Vance. Cars.com noted thousands of Alabamians are employed by Japanese-based Mazda, Toyota and Honda, South Korea’s Hyundai and German automaker Mercedes-Benz, and those foreign automakers are critical to the local economy of small towns like Lincoln (pop. 7,500) and Vance (2,000), creating jobs and driving economic growth through their investments in the communities.

U.S. brands are certainly not missing from the list, with General Motors placing 18 vehicles, more than any other brand, with five manufactured in Michigan and others built in Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Tennessee and Texas. The GM contingent is led by the Chevrolet Colorado at No. 23.

Ford has 12 vehicles on the index — led by the Lincoln Corsair at No. 29 and Ford Mustang at No. 31 — assembled in Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan and Missouri.

Cars.com said its recent consumer survey found 56% of in-market car shoppers are willing to pay more for a vehicle if it creates more U.S. jobs, and 58% of those said they would by at least an extra 10%.

Cars.com’s American-Made Index ranks cars based on five factors: assembly location, parts sourcing as determined by the American Automobile Labeling Act, U.S. factory employment relative to vehicle production, engine sourcing and transmission sourcing.

More information about the index and a complete list of the top 100 most American vehicles are available here.