American-Made Index Shifts
Tesla Maintains Top Ranks in American-Made Index; Jeep Surges, EV Models Decline to Record Low
Key Points
Three new models joined Cars.com’s 2026 American-Made Index, while 17 were dropped, after 379 vehicles were evaluated to yield 86 entries—an all-time low under the index’s 100-point scale that counts Canadian parts the same as U.S. parts.
Jeep’s Grand Cherokee jumped 66 spots to No. 4 on the index, a move driven by a 14% increase in U.S.- and Canada-made parts, with Stellantis highlighting North American content growth as part of its FaSTLAne 2030 strategy.
The number of electrified vehicles on the AMI fell to five this year, down from 11 last year, due largely to the expiration of the federal EV tax credit; Rivian did not qualify for 2026 but is expected to appear next year with its R2.
Despite Tesla’s dominance at the top, the 2026 AMI top 10 skews heavily toward Japanese brands, with Toyota (and Lexus) leading the pack and Honda/Acura collectively accounting for a sizable share of the list, reflecting ongoing cross-border content dynamics.
For the sixth straight year, Tesla sits atop Cars.com's American-Made Index — but the bigger story is how much the list has shrunk. Cars.com released its 2026 rankings on June 23, showing just 86 eligible vehicles, an all-time low, down from 99 last year. Tesla's Model 3 took No. 1 and the Model Y held No. 2, while Jeep stormed into the top five with the biggest single-year jump in index history.
The collapse in eligible vehicles traces directly to two forces: the expiration of the federal $7,500 EV tax credit and new tariffs that forced automakers to rethink sourcing. Electrified vehicles on the list fell from 11 to just five. Axios noted that nearly two-thirds of the 2026 list was produced by foreign-brand automakers — a sign of how dramatically the domestic manufacturing landscape has shifted.
Jeep's 66-Spot Surge Rewrites Stellantis' Story
The Grand Cherokee jumped 66 spots to land at No. 4 — the largest single-year climb in the index's 21-year history. The move was powered by a 14% increase in U.S.- and Canada-made parts. The Jeep Gladiator also climbed into the top five at No. 3. Together, they gave Stellantis its strongest top-five performance ever.
The gains are part of Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa's €60 billion FaSTLAne 2030 strategy, unveiled in May. The plan prioritizes regional manufacturing and "long-term profitable growth," Filosa said, according to Markets Insider. Not everyone is convinced — Stellantis shares fell 5% after the plan's announcement, with analysts questioning whether the company can execute while navigating a 25% tariff on EU auto imports.
EV Tax Credit Expiry Gutted Electrified Vehicle Eligibility
The 2026 index marks the first time in its history that only five electrified vehicles qualified. Last year, 11 made the cut. The primary cause: the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" was signed in August 2025, ending the $7,500 new EV credit and the $4,000 used EV credit effective September 30, 2025, according to H&R Block.
As demand cooled, automakers pulled low-margin electric models or moved production abroad. Rivian missed the 2026 index entirely due to timing, though its R2 — a mass-market SUV starting at $44,990 — began customer deliveries on June 9 and is expected on the 2027 list, per Business Insider. Cox Automotive analyst Stephanie Valdez Streaty said that without the subsidy, the EV case now rests solely on "performance, technology, and total cost of ownership."
Japanese Brands Now Own 60% of the Top 10
Set aside Tesla at the top, and the 2026 AMI top 10 reads like a Japanese brand showcase. Honda and its Acura brand claim multiple spots, with Honda's Alabama plant producing more top-10 vehicles than any other factory in the index's history. Toyota and Lexus also feature prominently. Together, Japanese brands account for roughly 60% of the top 10, Cars.com researcher Patrick Masterson noted.
Six Nissan and INFINITI vehicles also made the index for the second straight year, reflecting decades of U.S. manufacturing investment, according to Nissan News. Meanwhile, CarBuzz noted a stark contrast on the other end: GM does not crack the top 20 in 2026. The Detroit Three collectively hold fewer top-10 slots than in any prior year.
What the Shrinking List Signals for U.S. Auto Manufacturing
Cars.com evaluated 379 vehicles to produce just 86 eligible entries — the smallest pool since the index launched. The AMI measures assembly location, parts content from U.S. and Canadian suppliers, and U.S. manufacturing workforce. Canadian parts count the same as American parts under the methodology.
Forbes frames the shrinking EV count as a warning sign, arguing the U.S. is "losing both the infrastructure and the vehicle race" to China because of unstable policy. Enverus Intelligence Research cut its 2030 U.S. EV market penetration forecast from 12% to just 4.5% following the credit expiration — a dramatic revision that underscores how deeply policy shapes what ends up on a list like this.
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