You Can Have the Most US-Made Car, or a Union-Made Car—But Not Both
According to industry analysts, Tesla’s lineup–assembled in either California or Texas–is far and away the most “US-made” of any automaker. But if you want a union-made car, Tesla is far from your best option. In fact, the National Labor Relations Board has repeatedly charged Elon Musk (Tesla CEO) with illegal “anti-unionizing” activities, such as firing employees attempting to form a union.
Every year, Cars.com ranks the models that can most claim to be “made in the U.S.A.” Criteria include the percentage of components hailing from the U.S. or Canada (a number that automakers must display on the window sticker), the country where the engine is made, the country where the transmission is made, and location of final assembly. For 2023, Tesla swept the top four places. Here’s how its models stacked up:
- Tesla Model Y
- Tesla Model 3
- Tesla Model X
- Tesla Model S
Because the Cybertruck is classified as a heavy-duty vehicle, Tesla doesn’t need to disclose the same information about where its components come from. But the Cybertruck is also assembled in the U.S.
No other automaker headquartered in the U.S. has a model on Cars.com’s list of the twelve most U.S.-made vehicles. After the four Teslas, the list goes: Honda Passport, Volkswagen ID.4, Honda Odyssey, Acura MDX, Honda Ridgeline, Acura RDX, Honda Accord, and Toyota Tundra. Yes, all the vehicles listed are assembled in the U.S., from mostly North American parts.
Tesla has factories around the world. But every Tesla EV sold in the U.S. is assembled here. The automaker’s U.S. factories are in Fremont, California; Austin, Texas; Sparks, Nevada; and Buffalo, New York.
Tesla has prohibited employees at its factories from wearing any sort of union logos or insignias to work. The NLBR has cited Elon Musk with interrogating employees trying to unionize, disciplining them, and discriminating against them in other ways. One way is threatening to rescind existing factory worker stock options, which the NLBR points out would go against contracts Tesla’s already signed.
Tesla has busted at least three separate attempts by employees to unionize. Most recently, the company fired 30 employees from its Buffalo plant, citing performance. But these exact 30 employees had just announced they were forming a union. Shawn Fain, president of the United Autoworker’s Union isn’t pulling any punches when he discusses Tesla:
“Most of these workers in those companies are scraping to get by so that greedy CEOs and greedy people like Elon Musk can build more rocket ships and shoot into outer space…And that’s unacceptable.”
SHAWN FAIN, UAW PRESIDENT
Elon Musk says a factory workers’ union would create a divide within his company, which he doesn’t want. He’s quick to add that certain factory workers even became millionaires when he offered them company stocks and stock values skyrocketed. That said, it takes four years in a factory to even have the option to be paid in stocks. It is doubtful that employees starting later in Tesla’s history will do as well financially.
Next, find out why the least American-made pickup truck has the most star-spangled name, or hear Elon Musk explain why a union would create a “lords and peasants” situation in the video below:
