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Tesla innovation has changed the automotive world with a lot of industry firsts. Its latest designation is the top spot on the latest American Made Index (AMI).
Introduced 16 years ago by the editors of Cars.com, the AMI analyzes a range of factors to determine the percentage of new cars and trucks made American
Kelsey Mays, the assistant managing editor at the online motoring website that debuted in 1998, is our guest on this episode of The Weekly Driver Podcast. He discusses with co-hosts Bruce Aldrich and James Raia the latest index result and Tesla’s top spot.
“We like to think that the index is fairly relevant,” says Mays, a staffer since 2006. “When we survey consumers this year we found out 72 percent said that the domestic nature of a vehicle is an important part of their shopping position.”
“The whole point of it is to really help the consumer deduce what the economic contribution to a given vehicle he or she may buy turn out to be.”
Tesla Gets Top American Made Honors
Using a five-point criteria, the Tesla Model 3 became the first electric vehicle to claim the top sport considering where a vehicle is assembled to the amount of American and Canadian made parts. Three other components of what Mays calls a matrix also determine the index rankings.
The top-five positions on the AMI for 2021 include: Tesla Model 3 (Fremont, California), Ford Mustang (Flat Rock, Michigan), Tesla Model Y (Fremont, California), Jeep Cherokee (Belvidere, Illinois) and Chevrolet Corvette (Bowling Green, Kentucky).
According to the AMI findings, 68 percent of car shoppers said they would consider an electric or hybrid vehicle as their next car. Additionally, 29 percent of respondents found it unpatriotic not to buy American.
Please join co-hosts Bruce Aldrich and James Raia and Mays as we examine this year’s ratings, including some surprising results as well as what Tesla’s designation means to the auto industry.
Visit Cars.com to read the complete index.
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Article Last Updated: July 6, 2021.
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