Tesla took top spots in Cars.com’s 18th annual American-Made Index. Experts evaluated vehicles contributing the most to the U.S. economy for manufacturing, parts sourcing and employment. In this year’s AMI, electric vehicle automaker Tesla took the top spot for the third year and swept the first four spots. Honda held strong again, adding clout with appearances from its luxury brand Acura. Newcomer Volkswagen is making its debut in the index’s top 10.
“The trends in this year’s AMI reflect shifting consumer preferences,” said Jenni Newman, Cars.com editor-in-chief. “Only two sedans, Tesla’s Model 3 and Model S, appear in the top 10, largely replaced by SUVs, now comprising almost 60% of the full list. EVs, too, have experienced a meteoric rise since the first electrified vehicle, the Chevrolet Volt, made its only AMI top 10 appearance just five years ago. Half of the top 10 are EVs this year, and roughly 1 in every 5 vehicles on the full list comes electrified.”
According to a Cars.com consumer survey, about half of shoppers say they will pay more for a vehicle that creates U.S. jobs, with the number of Americans willing to pay an additional 30% or more to support U.S. jobs, almost doubling year over year.
In 2022, 14% of respondents believed a manufacturer must be headquartered in the U.S. to qualify as “substantially contributing to the U.S. economy;” that number rose to 24% this year, good news for mainstream U.S. automakers like GM, which has the most models appearing on the AMI, and Ford, tied for second. Still, Ford and GM’s Chevrolet are notably absent from the top rankings for the first time in the AMI’s almost two-decade history. Last year’s No. 3, Ford’s Lincoln Corsair, is the 2023 index’s highest-ranking vehicle manufactured by a U.S.-based automaker that isn’t Tesla, and it fell to No. 16 this year because of a drop in its domestic parts.
Just over half of the 2023 AMI vehicles were assembled in the South, which now has automotive manufacturing and assembly operations to rival the Midwest and Detroit’s mantle as Motor City. The South recently gained plants in Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, Texas and Alabama, which as a state, is second only to Michigan in factory representation on this year’s index.