10 Biggest News Stories of the Week: Tesla Model Y’s Got It Made, Toyota Corolla’s Best for Least

Just a year shy of a full two decades of defining and determining what constitutes the “most American” car on the market, Cars.com’s American-Made Index at this point is about as American as apple pie. And what better way to usher in the Independence Day holiday than to ignite an annual debate over what it means to be made in the USA! USA! USA! In recent years, with the honest-to-goodness American brand Tesla dominating the very top tier of our rankings, it perhaps hasn’t seemed quite as controversial as in a previous era. But with Tesla’s lineup now scattered across the top 21 instead of laying down four of a kind in the top spots as it has in the past, and with Japanese brands taking up half the top 10 and a German brand thrown in for good measure, the upper reaches of the index are more United Nations than United States.

Related: 10 Biggest News Stories of the Month: Toyota Land Cruiser, 4 Runner Crawl Over Corolla Hatchback

That being said, Tesla still holds the top spot as the most-American car you can buy with the Model Y compact SUV, followed by the Model S sedan at No. 4 and Model X SUV at No. 9 — as you’ll find in Cars.com’s most popular news story of the past week. However, the Model 3 compact sedan plummets to No. 21 this year. The loosening of Tesla’s stranglehold on the index’s upper echelon makes room for a trio of Honda models, including the Passport SUV, the Odyssey minivan and the Ridgeline pickup truck. Rounding out the top 10 are the Volkswagen ID.4 electric SUV, Toyota Camry sedan, Jeep Gladiator pickup truck and Lexus TX SUV. Models were ranked using standardized criteria and through exhaustive research to determine assembly location, parts content, engine origin, transmission origin and U.S. manufacturing workforce.

To learn the other 90 vehicles on the list of 100 on Cars.com’s 2024 American-Made Index — narrowed down from more than 400 eligible models — follow the link below to the No. 1 news story on this week’s countdown of most read articles.

Another popular article featuring vehicle rankings is our third-place-finishing roster of the hybrid vehicles that offer the greatest fuel economy for the least money. This was determined by taking the EPA’s combined mpg rating and dividing it by the hybrid vehicle’s base price (including a destination charge), then multiplying that figure by 1,000. One model-year 2024 vehicle was selected from each of a range of body styles, including the compact Toyota Corolla Hybrid, Toyota Camry Hybrid mid-size sedan, Toyota Prius hatchback, Toyota Crown full-size sedan, Ford Maverick pickup truck, Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid subcompact SUV, Kia Sportage Hybrid compact SUV, Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid mid-size SUV and Toyota Sienna minivan.

For more on our list of best hybrids for the money — including efficiency cost ratings, pricing and gas mileage — follow the link below to the No. 3 news story of the week.

Beyond that, we’ve got headlines on the Rivian R1S, BMW X5, Volkswagen Jetta 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. 2024 Cars.com American-Made Index: Which Cars Are the Most American?

2. Do I Need to Use Engine Oil or Fuel Additives?

3. What Are the Best 2024 Hybrids for the Money?

4. Is the 2024 Rivian R1S Worth Almost $30,000 More Than Our 2024 Kia EV9?

5. Here Are the 11 Cheapest Electric Vehicles You Can Buy

6. 2024 BMW X5 M60i Review: The Brute From Bavaria

7. 2024 Cars.com American-Made Index: What About the Least American Cars?

8. Volkswagen to Reveal Refreshed 2025 Jetta June 25

9. Which Electric Cars Are Still Eligible for the $7,500 Federal Tax Credit?

10. Electric Cars With the Longest Range

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.