[Oldsmobile stopped]

By Patrick Masterson
June 21, 2022
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Cars.com’s American-Made Index returns to rank all qualifying vehicles built and bought in the U.S. for the third time in its 17-year history. The 2022 study follows the same guidelines as in 2020 and 2021, ranking 95 vehicles through the same five criteria: assembly location, parts content, engine origins, transmission origins and U.S. manufacturing workforce.

Related: 2022 Cars.com American-Made Index: What About the Least American Cars?
Topping the 2022 index is Tesla, which not only retains its No. 1 overall ranking thanks to the Model Y, but furthers its presence on the list with all four vehicles of its current lineup placing in the top 10. The Model 3 drops one spot from 2021 to No. 2, the Model X comes in at No. 5, and the Model S follows at No. 6. The Lincoln Corsair and Honda Passport SUVs break the Texas-based automaker’s stranglehold at the top with Nos. 3 and 4, respectively, while the Jeep Cherokee and three more Hondas in the Ridgeline, Odyssey and Pilot round out the top 10.
Where did other models rank for 2022? Keep reading to see.

*Vehicles that come from one or more assembly plants outside the U.S.
All cars above are ranked for the 2022 model year, with assembly locations current as of April 2022. For nameplates that include both gas-only and substantially electrified versions (e.g., Ford F-150, F-150 hybrid and F-150 Lightning), each variant is rated separately.

Substantially updated versions of the Model S sedan and Model X SUV were late to arrive for 2021, which robbed them of sales data needed to meet our threshold for last year’s index. Their reappearance, coupled with the recent opening of a new plant producing Model Ys in Austin, Texas, that bolsters the company’s workforce credentials, means Tesla’s representation has never been more conspicuous.

It’s not a total takeover, however. Ford’s luxury brand Lincoln appears in the top 10 for the first time in the index’s history with the Corsair compact SUV thanks to a dramatic year-over-year increase of nearly 50 percentage points in U.S. and Canadian parts content. Similarly, the Honda Passport’s exceptional U.S. and Canadian parts content of 75% — a requirement of the original AMI and a bar dozens of models once met — is the highest of any qualifying vehicle for 2022 and helps buoy its ranking.

With the exception of the Model Ys rolling off the assembly line in Austin, all Teslas are built near San Francisco. The Corsair comes out of Kentucky and the Cherokee out of Illinois. Honda’s Odyssey minivan, Ridgeline pickup truck, and Passport and Pilot SUVs all hail from Alabama.

American-Made Index: Ranking by Class

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It's fair to say Tesla are the car company that are "Making America Great Again" with wow 100% American content. Very surprised to see both Renault/Nissan & Honda are ranked so high the US content charts, Toyota are just 47.5% American that's a lot lower than l thought they were, and the French/Japanese brand Renault/Nissan is more American GM, that's a shock!

Amazed at how many US car plants there are, the awesome Chevy Corvette is GM's most American car.

 

[1958carnut]

I'm just fine with my Canadian made Chevy Equinox, Thank You. 🤪

 

[RamJet502]

The Mexicans making $9/day at the GM plant in Silao, Mexico did a great job making my Silverado.

 

[dannyg]

I assume these numbers account for imported parts, I wonder how they handle the Chinese components in EV batteries? Or is this just "assembly"? My understanding is there's a lot of Chinese content/value in EV batteries, and of course the battery is a major part of the value of an EV. This would include Tesla:

Analysts: Tesla one step closer to making own EV batteries, reducing dependence on China (USA Today)

 

[CaptainDan]

I'd be more interested in the actual part content. Because Tesla most certainly does NOT source 100% of their parts within the US.

 

[gkr778]

I'd be more interested in the actual part content. Because Tesla most certainly does NOT source 100% of their parts within the US.

Here is AALA parts content data courtesy of NHTSA for model year 2022 passenger cars and light trucks:

MY2022-AALA-Percentage-01112022.pdf (nhtsa.gov)

 

[BlackGTP]

I'd be more interested in the actual part content. Because Tesla most certainly does NOT source 100% of their parts within the US.

I'm taking your concept up a notch. A company is more than just assembly plants, I'd like to know the entire American footprint, including "overhead" HQ type jobs like finance, marketing, engineering, HR etc.. Though these people do not physically make a car, the car can not be built without said roles. I've no doubt you include the entire footprint and the rankings will change quite a bit.

 

[CaptainDan]

I'm taking your concept up a notch. A company is more than just assembly plants, I'd like to know the entire American footprint, including "overhead" HQ type jobs like finance, marketing, engineering, HR etc.. Though these people do not physically make a car, the car can not be built without said roles. I've no doubt you include the entire footprint and the rankings will change quite a bit.

But not necessarily like you'd expect. Companies like Honda and Nissan have moved a LOT of their management and engineering to the US. While the US big three have good sized engineering components overseas.

 

[gkr778]

I'm taking your concept up a notch. A company is more than just assembly plants, I'd like to know the entire American footprint, including "overhead" HQ type jobs like finance, marketing, engineering, HR etc.. Though these people do not physically make a car, the car can not be built without said roles. I've no doubt you include the entire footprint and the rankings will change quite a bit.

Kogod School of Business at American University fields a study called Auto Index that attempts to address exactly what you mentioned, but like the Cars.com American-Made index has its flaws.

Made in America Auto Index

 

[DeeAgeaux]

I assume these numbers account for imported parts, I wonder how they handle the Chinese components in EV batteries? Or is this just "assembly"? My understanding is there's a lot of Chinese content/value in EV batteries, and of course the battery is a major part of the value of an EV. This would include Tesla:

Analysts: Tesla one step closer to making own EV batteries, reducing dependence on China (USA Today)

The only Chinese batteries in Teslas sold in America are the lithium iron phosphate battery packs, which are not that many.

Model S and Model X source their batteries from Japan.

Vast majority of Model 3 and Model Y batteries are made in Nevada. They will also manufacture batteries in Texas for Model Y and Cybertruck.

Almost all other battery packs sold in America are sourced from South Korean companies.

The US is starting to create battery metals processing capability too.

But as of now most of that chemical processing capacity is in China.

 

[eaton53]

Lucid and Rivian will both appear on this list next year.

 

[BlackGTP]

Kogod School of Business at American University fields a study called Auto Index that attempts to address exactly what you mentioned, but like the Cars.com American-Made index has its flaws.

Made in America Auto Index

Yes! That's what I was thinking of! As you said, not perfect, but better than simply looking at factories.

 

[AWHoden]

Kogod School of Business at American University fields a study called Auto Index that attempts to address exactly what you mentioned, but like the Cars.com American-Made index has its flaws.

Made in America Auto Index

Much more meaningful than the pro-Tesla puffery of the first post. I get it, Tesla is God, but a TON of their parts are not from here. Content matters just as much as final assembly location.

 

[dannyg]

The only Chinese batteries in Teslas sold in America are the lithium iron phosphate battery packs, which are not that many.

Model S and Model X source their batteries from Japan.

Vast majority of Model 3 and Model Y batteries are made in Nevada. They will also manufacture batteries in Texas for Model Y and Cybertruck.

Almost all other battery packs sold in America are sourced from South Korean companies.

The US is starting to create battery metals processing capability too.

But as of now most of that chemical processing capacity is in China.

OK thanks for the info! Good to know.

 

[rand49er]

"... five criteria: assembly location, parts content, engine origins, transmission origins and U.S. manufacturing workforce."

Where are the product planning people?

Where are the design engineers?

Where are the manufacturing engineers?

Where are the purchasing people?

Where are all the non-manufacturing workforce located?

This index is missing a lot of content IMO.

 

[gkr778]

This index is missing a lot of content IMO.

You are correct rand49er. Ultimately, what's really missing with the Cars.com American-Made Index (along with the AALA data it's based on) is relevance for the vast majority of U.S. automotive consumers. Perhaps I'm cynical, but it seems to me that this yearly ritual is little more than an opportunity for Cars.com to garner more "clicks" on their website.

I wrote the following here on GM Inside News forums back in 2019:

In 1992, the American Automobile Labeling Act or AALA was enacted to provide country of origin information for new passenger cars and light trucks sold in the USA. In 1998, the federal government (NHTSA, specifically) commissioned a survey of U.S. new car customers to determine the effectiveness of AALA country of origin information for vehicles and their parts content. Results:

In a survey of 646 people who had bought or leased new vehicles during the past 6 months or were planning to do so within 3 months:

• 23% knew of the existence of the AALA label
• 15% said they had seen an AALA label
• 7% had read the label at a dealership
• 5% said they were influenced by the label to any degree whatsoever
• 2% were moderately or strongly influenced by the label because it identified the vehicle’s country of assembly
• Nobody said they used the labels to comparison-shop among make-models according to their percentages of U.S./Canadian parts content

 

[1958carnut]

You are correct rand49er. Ultimately, what's really missing with the Cars.com American-Made Index (along with the AALA data it's based on) is relevance for the vast majority of U.S. automotive consumers. Perhaps I'm cynical, but it seems to me that this yearly ritual is little more than an opportunity for Cars.com to garner more "clicks" on their website.

I wrote the following here on GM Inside News forums back in 2019:

gkr778 said:
In 1992, the American Automobile Labeling Act or AALA was enacted to provide country of origin information for new passenger cars and light trucks sold in the USA. In 1998, the federal government (NHTSA, specifically) commissioned a survey of U.S. new car customers to determine the effectiveness of AALA country of origin information for vehicles and their parts content. Results:

In a survey of 646 people who had bought or leased new vehicles during the past 6 months or were planning to do so within 3 months:

• 23% knew of the existence of the AALA label
• 15% said they had seen an AALA label
• 7% had read the label at a dealership
• 5% said they were influenced by the label to any degree whatsoever
• 2% were moderately or strongly influenced by the label because it identified the vehicle’s country of assembly
• Nobody said they used the labels to comparison-shop among make-models according to their percentages of U.S./Canadian parts content

I find this quite funny actually because of all the blow back and angst that gets plastered on these pages about this issue, when clearly with that bunch surveyed (and if they represent America as a whole) they really didn't give a rat's backside about it

 

[BORG]

Just a detail nobody seems to have picked up on, but if Corsair is the 3rd most American...where is the Escape that's built alongside it?

 

[Oldsmobile stopped]

2021 Worlds top 10 car battery producers, who is that company that's producing batteries in the USA on the map, who made onto the worlds top 10 battery producers list last year?

Nice to see lots more of these new big giga battery factories coming on stream in the future in North America with 100% content LOL.

Lots more new battery factories coming online everywhere.

 

[gkr778]

Just a detail nobody seems to have picked up on, but if Corsair is the 3rd most American...where is the Escape that's built alongside it?

It's #70 on the list.