Only 1 V8 vehicle is left on the “most American-made” list
The V8 engine is an American icon. For decades, V8s built in Detroit were world-renowned. But in 2024, only one V8-powered vehicle made Cars.com’s index of the “most American-made” models. No muscle cars made the index’s top 20. Neither did the current generation of trucks by the Detroit Three. The Tundra did make the list, but Toyota ditched its V8 for a twin-turbo V6. Only one survivor stands: the Ram 1500 Classic. That truck is a newly-built 4th-gen Ram 1500 which is still assembled in the Detroit area.
The fact that no modern Detroit-built half-ton trucks made the cut is a major shift. In past years, full-size trucks dominated rankings like these. But today, Japanese and European automakers with U.S. factories are edging them out. Instead of burly American V8s, the list is filled with hybrid powertrains, turbocharged six-cylinders, and even fully electric vehicles.
Here are the “most American-made” vehicles, according to the Cars.com index:
| Rank | Make | Model |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tesla | Model Y |
| 2 | Honda | Passport |
| 3 | Volkswagen | ID.4 |
| 4 | Tesla | Model S |
| 5 | Honda | Odyssey |
| 6 | Honda | Ridgeline |
| 7 | Toyota | Camry |
| 8 | Jeep | Gladiator |
| 9 | Tesla | Model X |
| 10 | Lexus | TX |
| 11 | Toyota | Highlander |
| 12 | Acura | RDX |
| 13 | Honda | Accord |
| 14 | Honda | Pilot |
| 15 | Acura | MDX |
| 16 | Toyota | Grand Highlander |
| 17 | Acura | Integra |
| 18 | Acura | TLX |
| 19 | Ram | 1500 Classic |
| 20 | Toyota | Tundra |
What’s replacing the American V8?
So why aren’t more V8 trucks on this list? The simple answer is downsizing. Automakers are moving to turbocharged six-cylinders for better fuel economy and emissions compliance. Even Ram is phasing out the HEMI in favor of its new turbocharged Hurricane inline-six for the current 5th-gen of its 1500.
Toyota was once a holdout, keeping its V8-powered Tundra for years. But that changed in 2022 when it switched to a twin-turbocharged V6. The Ford F-150, Chevrolet Silverado 1500, and current-generation Ram 1500 still offer V8s, but their percentage of U.S.-made parts wasn’t high enough to make the Cars.com index.
The American V8’s last stand?
Yes, you can still order a Ford F-150 with a 5.0-liter “Coyote” V8. But while that truck is assembled in the U.S., its engine is built in Canada. And the shocking truth about the Ram 1500 Classic is that its V6 may be made in the U.S., but every “HEMI” V8 is built at Ram’s plant in Mexico.
General Motors still builds the V8s for many of its Sierra/Silverado 1500 pickup trucks in the U.S.A. In 2020, GM re-invested in its plant in Spring Hill, Tennessee, to build the 5.3-liter V8. But the company also assembles some of its V8s in Mexico, which prevented its trucks from ranking higher.
The Cars.com index highlights a shift in American manufacturing. EVs, turbocharged six-cylinders, and imports now dominate the rankings. The Ram 1500 Classic kept the American V8 alive one more year, but it signals the end of an era. With automakers favoring efficiency over tradition, the days of the all-American, V8-powered truck may be numbered.
