Tesla Model 3 Tops the American-Made Index for 2021

Photo: TWANGnBANG/YouTube

Tesla Model 3 topped the Cars.com American-Made Index (AMI) in 2021. In addition, the model became the first all-electric vehicle to top the list in all 16 years of its existence. Tesla Model Y took an honorable third place.

Cars.com has released the results of an annual survey that ranks new cars that contribute the most to the U.S. economy based on jobs in U.S. factories, manufacturing plants, and parts suppliers. Based on the assessment of all components, Tesla Model 3 became the winner of 2021.

This is not the first time Tesla cars have made it to the rankings, however they have never ranked first. In 2020, Model 3 was ranked fourth, Model S ranked third, and Model X ranked ninth. In parallel with the popularity of Model 3, Model Y is gradually gaining an increasing share of interest, so its production in the United States is increasing every month. In 2021, Tesla Model Y ranked third on the list, although with the commissioning of Giga Texas, the car's position in AMI in 2022 will increase significantly compared to this year.

As Tesla strives to localize its supply chain, its vehicles claim to be 100% domestic, double the industry average. "It's worth noting that Tesla is the only major automaker to claim 100% domestic production for all cars it sells in the US, well above the industry's roughly 52% average for the 2021 model year," Kelsey Mays, assistant managing editor at Cars.com, told USA TODAY.

In 2021, Tesla took the lead away from Ford. In 2020, Ford took first place with its Ranger, which is now in 28th place. However, Ford Mustang, produced at Flat Rock, Michigan plant, came in at #2 in 2021.

Top 15 most “American-made” vehicles
Ranked from highest to lowest with where each vehicle was made

1. Tesla Model 3, Fremont, California
2. Ford Mustang, Flat Rock, Michigan
3. Tesla Model Y, Fremont, California
4. Jeep Cherokee, Belvidere, Illinois
5. Chevrolet Corvette, Bowling Green, Kentucky
6. Honda Ridgeline, Lincoln, Alabama
7. Honda Odyssey, Lincoln, Alabama
8. Honda Pilot, Lincoln, Alabama
9. Honda Passport, Lincoln, Alabama
10. Toyota Tundra, San Antonio, Texas
11. Ford Expedition, Expedition Max, Louisville, Kentucky
12. Acura RDX, East Liberty, Ohio
13. Acura TLX, Marysville, Ohio
14. Chevrolet Colorado, Wentzville, Missouri
15. GMC Canyon, Wentzville, Missouri

Of the 344 models on the market in 2021, 90 meet this year's AMI requirements. According to a study by Cars.com, 72% of buyers believe that the economic impact of a car in the United States is an important deciding factor when buying a car, which is why American-made cars are more attractive to them than others.
“Even as the pandemic threat begins to wane, a third of respondents in 2021 still say COVID-19 has made them more likely to buy an American-built vehicle. Up from just a quarter of respondents in 2020, 29% this year say that it's ‘unpatriotic to purchase a non-American-made vehicle."

© 2021, Eva Fox. All rights reserved.

_____________________________

We appreciate your readership! Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.

Article edited by @SmokeyShorts, you can follow him on Twitter

Follow @EvaFoxU