Happy Fourth of July: Tesla’s ‘U.S.-Made Index’ Winning Streak

This year marks another Fourth of July that Tesla has qualified as the most American-made brand, even gaining some upgrades from last year. Tesla’s four vehicles qualified as the top four most American-made car spots in recent weeks, after first appearing in the index in 2020.

Above: Tesla's Model X, S, 3 and Y (Image: EVANNEX).

Tesla’s Model Y, 3, X and S, in that order, were recently named the top four most American-made cars in 2023 by Cars.com. The news marks Tesla’s third year in a row clinching multiple spots on the index, and the second year in a row in which all four vehicles were in the top ten.

Tesla also earned four top-ten spots in last year’s index, with the Model Y and 3 again landing first and second, respectively, while the Model X and S ranked fifth and sixth, respectively. We also covered Tesla earning four spots in the U.S.-Made Index’s top ten in 2022, though this year shows an improvement for the brand.

Above: 2023 Cars.com American-Made Index: Which Cars Are the Most American? (Video: Cars.com / YouTube).

Last year, Cars.com Detroit Bureau Chief Aaron Bergman called final assembly locations “arguably the most important factor for index qualification.” Since then, Model Y production has increased at Tesla’s Gigafactory Texas, while its California Gigafactory is still producing the majority of its vehicles — including additional Model Y units.

"Basically 100% of the vehicles they sell here are made here," Bragman said last year. "It's an unusual situation for any automaker."

As noted in a recent poll from the Cars.com, roughly 39 percent of those buying vehicles will "devote significant time to researching where a large purchase is manufactured or headquartered."

Tesla was also included in the American-made index in both 2021 and 2020. In 2021, Tesla’s Model 3 earned the first spot on the index, jumping from its fourth spot the prior year. The Model Y appeared on the index for the first time in 2021, and neither the Model S or X made it due to insufficient data for inclusion.

The methodology for inclusion on the publication’s 2023 American-made index are as follows, according to the site:

To create the American-Made Index, Cars.com analyzes five primary factors:

• 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

So, an extra happy Independence Day to the Tesla community, for increasingly supporting the most U.S.-made vehicles. Here's to another year of innovation in the industry, and to supporting auto companies that produce locally.

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Sources: Cars.com / EVANNEX / Cars.com / EVANNEX / Cars.com (via YouTube)