Cars.com is posting its annual American-made vehicle index amid the Trump administration’s tariffs intended to increase U.S.-made content for cars and trucks.
The company released its findings today. The company conducted an embargoed Automotive Press Association briefing on June 11 in Birmingham, Michigan.
Cars.com evaluated 99 models for U.S. content. At the top for U.S. content is Tesla Inc.’s Model 3. The Texas-based electric-car maker held the first four slots in the Cars.com analysis.
Other models near the top were the Jeep Gladiator, the Kia EV6 and Honda Motor Co. models the Ridgeline, Odyssey, and Passport.
“International automakers make up 67% of vehicles on the list,” Patrick Masterson, a Cars.com researcher said at the Automotive Press Association briefing. Not everyone knows how much U.S. content international brands have in their vehicles, he said.
Still, Cars.com said U.S.-based automakers still have a lot of American content. For example, Detroit-based General Motors Co. accounted for 15% of the Cars.com index.
The annual survey may take on more importance than in previous years. The Trump administration is emphasizing tariffs as a way to boost U.S. manufacturing. Tariffs are levied on imported goods. They are not paid from one country to another. Instead, importers pay a tax. The importers typically pass those costs onto customers.
Vehicle prices will probably rise “based on current policies,” David Greene, Cars.com’s principal industry analyst, said at the APA briefing.
“The tariff picture is changing,” Greene added.
Cars.com says its survey says consumers are willing to pay more for cars and trucks, at least up to a point, if that results in more U.S. manufacturing jobs. The question is, “Can consumers absorb further price increases on vehicles?” Greene said.
The Trump administration also wants to de-emphasize electric vehicles. The administration of former President Joseph Biden wanted to boost EV deliveries.
Cars.com says electrification of vehicles is still expanding. “It’s happening,” Masterson said. “It’s slow.”
Cars.com says the auto industry overall is a major driver of the U.S. economy.
“No matter where a vehicle ranks” on the Cars.com survey “it has an impact on the American economy,” Masterson said.
