Tesla Rules 2024 “Made in America Auto Index”… With a Catch
As U.S. President-elect Donald Trump threatens to impose a 25-percent tariff on all Canadian and Mexican imports as soon as he returns to the White House on January 20, 2025, a new study highlights the 25 most American-made vehicles on the market, meaning those assembled in the U.S. with the most domestic content.
The 2024 Made in America Auto Index released by the Kogod School of Business at American University in Washington, D.C. uses seven different criteria based on publicly available data. These include Engine; Transmission; Body, Chassis and Electrical Components; Labour; Research and Development; Inventory, Capital and Other Expenses; and Profit Margin.
- Also: All the Vehicles Built in Canada and Mexico That Are Sold in the U.S.
- Also: No Ford or GM Among Top 20 Most American-Made Vehicles of 2024
It’s important to note that “domestic content” may include components made in Canada. That’s because the American Automobile Labeling Act requires automakers to report the percentage of American and Canadian parts without distinguishing between the two.
Tesla dominates the ranking, with the Model 3 Performance leading the way, followed by the Model Y and Cybertruck. The Model S and Model X are tied in fourth place along with the Ford Mustang GT.
Speaking with Kelley Blue Book, lead study author Frank DuBois pointed out that Tesla still relies on a fair share of Chinese parts. In fact, if you exclude the motors and batteries, the second-place Model 3 Long Range has a whopping 40 percent Chinese content, he said. The Cybertruck? Twenty percent.
The rest of the top 10 is more diversified and features several vehicles from non-American brands, namely the Honda Passport, Odyssey, Ridgeline and Pilot as well as the Volkswagen ID.4. Interestingly, the GMC Canyon, Chevrolet Colorado and Lincoln Corsair are also included despite no GM or Ford vehicle landing among the top 20 in a similar study from Cars.com earlier this year.
By the way, if you’re interested in knowing more about the origins and content of a particular car or truck, start with the VIN number. The first digit in most cases tells you where it is assembled. The U.S. is either one, four or five, Canada is two and Mexico is three. Japan is J and Korea is K.
