Cars.com Study Reveals Honda Makes Nine out of the Top Fifteen Most American-Made Cars

Cars.com’s American-Made Index (AMI) ranked 100 of the most models sold in the U.S. by American, Asian, and European brands on how American-made they are. Of the top 15 highest-ranked models, 9 were by Honda or Acura. By simple math alone, that is more than any other brand, regardless of their headquarters location. 

There is probably no better demonstration than this AMI list of Honda’s commitment to building American products in America. This is not news to us at Honda of Sumner, however,  as the manufacturer of our products has consistently been a leader in the number of vehicles making the top of the AMI list since Cars.com created it in 2006. For the 2023 AMI, the top 15 models are:

Rank Model Rank Model

5 Honda Passport

7 Honda Odyssey

8 Acura MDX

9 Honda Ridgeline

10 Acura MDX

11 Honda Accord

13 Acura Integra

14 Acura TLX

15 Honda Pilot

To their credit, Tesla occupies the first four spots. It isn’t until you get to the 16th-ranked Lincoln Corsair that you see a model from a traditional “American” brand in the AMI. And even in the top 25, you only have four such models, each from a different brand. In addition, iconic “All-American” models like full-size pickup trucks by Ford, Dodge, and Chevrolet ranked 66th, 87th, and 96th, respectively.

Honda’s 44-Year Commitment to U.S. Manufacturing

Honda first started building motorcycles in the US back in 1979 and has since invested $19 billion in its U.S. manufacturing operations, including more than $3.6 billion over the past five years alone. Other facts regarding Honda U.S. manufacturing include: 

• All five of the Honda and Acura models in the top 10 — Honda Passport, Ridgeline, Odyssey, and Acura MDX and RDX — were designed and developed by Honda engineers in the U.S.
• More than two-thirds of the Honda vehicles sold in the U.S. in 2022 were made in America — the second-highest percentage of any full-line automaker.
• Honda operates five automobile assembly plants in the U.S., specifically Ohio, Indiana, and Alabama, with additional engine plants in Ohio and Georgia.
• Honda has produced more than 30 million cars and light trucks in the U.S. over the last 40 years.

“We’re proud of our team of Honda associates in the U.S. who work together each day to create high-quality products for our customers,” said Bob Schwyn, senior vice president of Honda Development & Manufacturing of America, LLC. “Honda has been building automobiles in America for over 40 years, and our commitment to local production continues today as we invest in our U.S. plants and associates to build Honda and Acura EVs.“

How the American-Made Index Is Determined

To create the AMI, Cars.com analyzes five primary factors:

• Location of final assembly
• Percentage of U.S. and Canadian parts
• Country of origin for available engines
• Country of origin for available transmissions
• U.S. manufacturing employees relative to the automaker’s footprint

Parts information comes from the American Automobile Labeling Act, which requires automakers to annually report the percentage of U.S. and Canadian parts, by value for all models with a gross vehicle weight rating of under 8,500 pounds. This leaves out full-size vans and heavy-duty trucks. Also not included are fleet-only models, models about to be discontinued, and those from manufacturers that produce less than 1000 vehicles. After the parts content is determined, the AMI then factors each automaker’s U.S. manufacturing workforce against the number of cars it produces in the country. 

2023 Honda Passport TrailSport

To be fair, Honda still imports some of its models from overseas but taken as a whole, the products you will find in Honda of Sumner are as American-made as you will find anywhere.