10 Biggest News Stories of the Week: Tesla Model 3, Ford Mustang Make America First
If you rock a “Buy American” bumper sticker on your Dodge Challenger or all-new Ford Bronco Sport, all due respect to you. But pop the red pill and cue Morpheus’ sage-sounding voice: What if we told you that the Challenger and Bronco Sport, ostensibly American, were assembled by our proverbial neighbors to the north and south of the border? Welcome … to the real world.
Related: 10 Biggest News Stories of the Month: Chevy Spark Cheapskates by Tesla SUVs, Kia Carnival
Dominating this week’s countdown of the most popular Cars.com articles of the past seven days is our annual matrix of the most American vehicles on the market right now. Per our blend of criteria, including assembly location, parts content, engine origins, transmission origins and U.S. manufacturing workforce, we’ve calculated the 90 vehicles that can demonstrably claim the designation of being “most American.” Spoiler alert: They don’t all have Detroit Three badges. Not even close.
The top five are, however, from automakers headquartered at least partially in the U.S. versus the overseas automakers found further down the list. California claims two of the top spots — including the top spot, with the Tesla Model 3 all-electric luxury sedan leading the pack, and Tesla’s Model Y compact luxury SUV at No. 3, with the Ford Mustang and Jeep Cherokee sandwiched in at Nos. 2 and 4, respectively. Rounding out the 2021 top 10 are the Chevrolet Corvette at No. 5, Honda Ridgeline at No. 6, Honda Odyssey at No. 7, Honda Pilot at No. 8, Honda Passport at No. 9 and Toyota Tundra at No. 10.
For the full lineup American-Made Index finishers and each model’s assembly location, along with the full context of Cars.com’s qualifying criteria, follow the link below to our No. 1 news story of the week.
Naturally, if the most American-made vehicles can be quantified, something has to be considered the least American-made — and they’re no less surprising. Models from Americana-steeped brands like Buick, Dodge, Ford and Jeep find their way onto this list, as do cars from Toyota and Hyundai.
“Because we don’t scrutinize factors beyond the offending data for any disqualified car, we can’t definitively name the least American car,” Cars.com’s Kelsey Mays writes in his report on the least American cars. “But we can name a swath of vehicles with low credentials, starting with foreign assembly.”
Follow the link below to our No. 2 news story of the week for the full rundown on the least American cars, according to American-Made Index standards.
Rounding out this week’s top five are our full breakdown of the 2022 Ford Maverick’s pricing, which starts around $20,000, at No. 3; an examination of the ongoing pandemic-precipitated vehicle inventory shortage, at No. 4; and an accounting of the American-Made Index grouped by vehicle class, from three-row SUVs to hybrids and all-electric vehicles, at No. 5.
Beyond that, we have headlines on the BMW M440i, Nissan Pathfinder and Honda Civic — and there’s much more where all that came from. Here are the top 10 news stories Cars.com readers couldn’t get enough of in the past week:
1. 2021 Cars.com American-Made Index: Which Cars Are the Most American?
2. 2021 Cars.com American-Made Index: What About the Least American Cars?
3. 2022 Ford Maverick Pricing Starts at $20,000, But What Does That Include?
4. How Long Will the Vehicle Inventory Shortage Last?
5. 2021 Cars.com American-Made Index: Ranking by Class
6. 2021 BMW M440i Convertible Review: Escape Artist
7. What’s the Best New-Car Offer for June 2021?
8. Inventory Pinch: 25 Models Still Out There
9. Is the 2022 Nissan Pathfinder a Good SUV? 5 Pros and 3 Cons
10. 2022 Honda Civic First Drive Review: Honda’s Boy Racer Grows Up
Related Video:
Cars.com’s Editorial department is your source for automotive news and reviews. In line with Cars.com’s long-standing ethics policy, editors and reviewers don’t accept gifts or free trips from automakers. The Editorial department is independent of Cars.com’s advertising, sales and sponsored content departments.
