The Tesla Model S beats all rivals when it comes to being American, according to the annual list.
The Tesla Model S beats the Cadillac ELR, Chevy Volt, Toyota Prius, and Nissan Leaf when it comes to being American-Made. This according to the annual Kogod Made In America index. The Tesla is ranked higher on the list than any green car, and also any direct competitor in the luxury class.
The Kogod list looks at all aspects of a vehicle’s manufacture, including assembly location, Freemont, CA in the case of the Tesla Model S. Parts content is considered, and also the location of the vehicle’s design center, again California for the Tesla. Also helping Tesla is that companies based in the U.S.A. get a 6% bonus. That helps separate Tesla from say, Toyota or Nissan, not that the company needed the extra help.
The Kogod list gives the Tesla Model S a score of 75. The closest to the Tesla is the Ford Focus Electric with a score of 72.5. The Cadillac ELR and also the Chevy Volt earn a score of 65.5. No other green car is even close. The Nissan Leaf scores 40. The Camry Hybrid, Avalon Hybrid, and Highlander Hybrid all also score a respectable 40. How did the top-selling green car today, and ever, the Toyota Prius score? One. Just in case it is not clear, higher is better. We suspect that the glue that holds the window sticker was sourced locally for the Prius. One of Tesla’s closest rivals in the luxury car class is the Audi A7/S7. That car scores a 1.5.
Find your favorite green car on the list here if we failed to list it. A few outliers seemed to be missing from the list, so if you spot one above the Tesla that we missed please let us know.
Related: Tesla scores very low on this Newsweek environmental ranking
Photo of 2014 Model S by John Goreham