Tesla tops list of most American-made cars as VW poses EV challenge

Tesla has the two most American-made cars of 2022, according to a list from Cars.com. The electric vehicle maker also had four cars in the top six. Cars.com’s American-Made Index, which has been released annually since 2006, is based on five 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

The Tesla models in the top 10 of the American-made cars list include the Model Y, Model 3, Model X and Model S. All four models are manufactured in Fremont, California, and the Model Y is also manufactured in Austin, Texas.

This is the second straight year a Tesla model has topped the list. The Model 3 was named the most American-made car of 2021. 2022’s top 10 includes:

1. Tesla Model Y
2. Tesla Model 3
3. Lincoln Corsair
4. Honda Passport
5. Tesla Model X
6. Tesla Model S
7. Jeep Cherokee
8. Honda Ridgeline
9. Honda Odyssey
10. Honda Pilot

A notable omission from the top 10 are vehicles manufactured by General Motors. The most American-made car from the company, seen as a staple of American-made cars, was the Chevrolet Corvette, which came in at No. 11.

The Cars.com list came as Bloomberg reported on a new challenger to Tesla’s worldwide electric vehicle dominance. At a tech conference in Berlin, Volkswagen CEO Herbert Diess said the company is in a “good second position” behind Tesla. He said Volkswagen was making progress on battery production, charging infrastructure and software.

“We think we can close the gap a little bit in the next months,” Bloomberg cited Diess as saying.

His comments came just over a week after Bloomberg predicted Volkswagen could take over as the world’s top electric vehicle maker as early as 2024. On Tuesday, Musk told Bloomberg he “would not agree” with their prediction.

“We don’t really think about other competitors,” Musk said.

MarketWatch contributed to this report.