10 Biggest News Stories of the Month: Tesla Model 3 Most American, But Ford Maverick Most Popular
With pickup trucks continuing to dominate annual vehicle sales, it’s difficult to imagine which corner of America’s pickup-prone demographic automakers have yet to reach. But all those list-topping trucks are either full- or mid-size, whereas the next frontier (as in horizon, not the Nissan pickup) is shaping up to be tiny trucks. Enter the 2022 Ford Maverick, which hopes to endear itself to would-be pickup shoppers with its compact size and commensurately compact starting price of $21,490, including a destination charge. It’s expected to go on sale this fall.
Related: The 2022 Ford Maverick Is Poised to Challenge More Than Just Trucks
That price, for the entry-level Maverick XL, gets buyers the base 2.5-liter four-cylinder hybrid powertrain, front-wheel drive, 17-inch steel wheels and interior offerings including a standard 8-inch touchscreen display with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a Wi-Fi hot spot, forward collision warning with automatic emergency braking, Ford’s versatile Flexbed, underseat rear storage, cloth seats, two USB ports, power windows and locks, a tilt/telescoping steering wheel and keyless entry. All that comes atop more than 500 miles of estimated range, plus payload and towing ratings of 1,500 and 2,000 pounds, respectively. Prices rise from there if you want elevated content, to just under $24,000 for the XLT trim and just under $27,000 for the Lariat.
If those figures entice you, it’s unlikely you’re alone. Something about our full pricing breakdown for the Maverick clicked with readers, as it topped our monthly countdown of the most popular Cars.com articles. Follow the link below to June’s No. 1 news story to get the whole story.
Despite a narrow margin between the top two articles this month, the Maverick’s popularity on the countdown resulted in an America-second situation — at least where it concerns the 2021 edition of Cars.com’s American-Made Index. The Tesla Model 3, a compact luxury electric sedan built in California, topped this year’s ranking of the 90 vehicles sold in the U.S. that meet standardized criteria to be considered sufficiently American-made. To earn that title, the Model 3 had to beat out some icons of Americana, with names like Mustang, Jeep and Corvette — not to mention a fellow Tesla, the Model Y compact SUV, which came in third.
Being named the most American car isn’t as simple as it might seem. Top finishers had to meet thresholds pertaining to assembly location, parts content, engine origins, transmission origins and U.S. manufacturing workforce in order to earn the honor. For a full explanation of how Cars.com chose AMI designees, as well as the full ranking of all 90 models, follow the link below to our No. 2 news story of the month. (And if you want to know which cars we consider the least American, ease on down the list to No. 6; the answer may surprise you.)
Beyond all that, we have headlines on the Toyota Corolla Cross, Subaru Forester, Volkswagen Taos, BMW M440i and much more, so be sure to peruse the whole countdown to catch up on what car shoppers jabbered all June about. Here are the top 10 news stories Cars.com readers couldn’t get enough of in the past month:
1. 2022 Ford Maverick Pricing Starts at $20,000, But What Does That Include?
2. 2021 Cars.com American-Made Index: Which Cars Are the Most American?
3. How Long Will the Vehicle Inventory Shortage Last?
4. 2022 Toyota Corolla Cross Up Close: The Corolla of Small SUVs
5. How to Get the Best Offer for Your Trade-In
6. 2021 Cars.com American-Made Index: What About the Least American Cars?
7. 2021 Subaru Forester: 6 Things We Like and 4 We Don’t
8. Is the 2022 Volkswagen Taos a Good Car? 6 Pros and 2 Cons
9. 2021 Kia Sorento Hybrid Review: Big Vehicle With Small-Vehicle Fuel Economy
10. 2021 BMW M440i Convertible Review: Escape Artist
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