10 Biggest News Stories of the Week: Tesla Model Y, Model 3, Model X Index Over Hyundai Santa Fe
With the vast majority of consumer-fave products, from iPhones to Lululemon yoga pants to Air Jordan sneakers, manufactured in varied Asian locales, the sincerity of the “buy American” movement seems like a tough sell. But the image of U.S. workers on the automotive assembly line is still as American as an ovenmitted mom placing an apple pie on the window sill to cool. And one way you can help keep those workers in diamonds and furs — or in coveralls and exoskeletons, as it were — is to buy American, or at least as American as the modern state of things allows.
To that end, Cars.com has undertaken the painstaking labor of winnowing down the hundreds of eligible cars, SUVs and trucks now populating dealer lots to determine the most American models. Our proprietary blend of qualifying criteria includes assembly location, domestic parts content, engine origin, transmission origin and U.S. manufacturing workforce. The result is the roster of 100 vehicles on the 2023 American-Made Index, the 18th edition of this car-buying companion and the most popular article of the past week by a country mile — so long as that country is the good ol’ U.S. of A.
Luxury electric carmaker Tesla stayed most true to the red, white and blue, earning the boast of its entire lineup comprising this year’s top four, with the Model Y compact SUV proving to be the American-est of all, followed by the Model 3 compact sedan in second place, the Model X mid-size SUV in third and the Model S mid-size sedan in fourth. Rounding out the top 10 are the Honda Passport mid-size SUV in fifth place, Volkswagen ID.4 compact electric SUV in sixth, Honda Odyssey minivan in seventh, Acura MDX luxury mid-size SUV in eighth, Honda Ridgeline mid-size pickup truck in ninth and Acura RDX luxury compact SUV in 10th.
For the other 90 models on the American-Made Index, follow the link below to the No. 1 news story on this week’s countdown of most read articles — and to learn the models that failed to make the AMI grade, ease on down the list to the No. 5 spot, where you’ll find a rundown on the least American cars.
Mid-size SUVs, consider yourselves on notice: the 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe is the new standard bearer in the space. In his comprehensive critique of the updated-for-2023 two-row family hauler, Cars.com reviewer Aaron Bragman lauds the Santa Fe for its tasteful exterior styling that manages to be forward-looking without being gimmicky; an interior with high-quality appointments and user-friendly controls; a versatile, intuitive and attractive infotainment system; and a turbocharged 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine making a robust 281 horsepower and 311 pounds-feet of torque.
“So it has value, comfort, style, technology, room and just oozes competency,” Bragman concludes in his review. “ … The ’23 Santa Fe ticks all the right boxes, and I confidently consider it to be the new benchmark for a family crossover.”
For our full take on the 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe — including the precious few places Bragman wasn’t as impressed — follow the link below to the No. 3 article of the week.
Beyond that, we’ve got headlines on the Mazda CX-90 PHEV, Audi Q5 and SQ5, and much more — so don’t stop reading till the digits double. Here are the top 10 news stories Cars.com readers couldn’t get enough of in the past week:
1. 2023 Cars.com American-Made Index: Which Cars Are the Most American?
2. Here Are the 11 Cheapest Electric Vehicles You Can Buy
3. 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe Review: Could This Be the Perfect Family Crossover?
4. A Swift Trip: 2024 Mazda CX-90 PHEV Road-Trip Fuel Economy
5. 2023 Cars.com American-Made Index: What About the Least American Cars?
6. Electric Cars With the Longest Range
7. Which Electric Cars Are Still Eligible for the $7,500 Federal Tax Credit?
8. What Are the Most Fuel-Efficient Cars?
9. 2024 Audi Q5, SQ5 Get New Tech, Packaging Updates
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.
