President Donald Trump has really shined the spotlight on American manufacturing.
Looking to impose a big border tax on vehicles manufactured outside the U.S., President Trump has put Toyota on notice and Ford has already backed off building a new Mexico plant. But a big border tax only affects cars being imported into the U.S. – so which cars aren’t affected?
SEE ALSO: Top 10 American Cars Not Actually Made in America
You may be surprised to hear just how many Japanese, Korean and German automakers manufacture cars within the U.S. Some models are actually exported from the U.S. to other countries.
10. Nissan Maxima
Nissan has two factories in the U.S., one in Tennessee and one in Mississippi. The Maxima isn’t the only model the Japanese automaker manufactures on American soil, but it’s one of the more popular ones. The Japanese automaker also builds the Leaf, Altima, Rogue, Pathfinder, Murano, Frontier, Titan and NV in the U.S.
9. Volkswagen Passat
Volkswagen’s Chattanooga plant is well-known in the automotive world and up until recently, only the Passat was manufactured there. But the new Atlas will join the Passat on the assembly line as Volkswagen begins to focus on crossovers and SUVs in the U.S.
8. Infiniti QX60
The Infiniti QX60 is the only model from Nissan’s luxury arm that is produced in the U.S., joining the Leaf, Altima, Maxima, Rogue and Pathfinder at the company’s Tennessee factory. For now, it doesn’t appear Infiniti will expand production in the U.S. but is instead focusing on China and the Q30 that is produced in England.
7. Subaru Impreza
Production of the Subaru Impreza moved to the U.S. starting in 2016, joining the Outback and Legacy at the company’s factory in Indiana. The automaker only has one manufacturing plant outside of Japan, and that’s the one in the U.S.
ALSO SEE: Top 10 American Cars Not Actually Made in America
6. Hyundai Sonata
Korean automaker Hyundai also produces multiple models in the U.S., including the Sonata, Elantra and Santa Fe at its production facility in Montgomery, Alabama. Sister brand Kia has a facility in Georgia, where the Kia Optima and Sorento are produced, as well as additional units of the Santa Fe.
5. Mercedes-Benz C-Class
It might be surprising to hear Mercedes-Benz produces its C-Class in the U.S., but it makes financial sense considering it’s the brand’s entry-level and one of its most popular models. Last year, the C-Class sold 77,167 units in the U.S., a large enough number to justify a manufacturing facility in the U.S. The company is also ramping up production of its SUVs in the U.S., with the GLE- and GLS-Class being built at its Vance, Alabama facility.
4. BMW X Series Family
With the crossover and SUV segment booming in the U.S., BMW seized the opportunity to bring manufacturing of the X3, X4, X5 and X6 models to its Spartanburg plant in South Carolina. The German automaker also plans on producing the future flagship X7 in the U.S.
3. Acura NSX
Acura’s latest and greatest sports car made headlines for being produced in the U.S., joining numerous other models like the ILX, TLX, MDX and RDX. The Acura ILX, TSX and NSX are all produced at the automaker’s Ohio plant in Marysville, while the RDX is built in East Liberty. The Acura MDX shares the assembly line with the Honda Odyssey, Pilot and Ridgeline in Lincoln, Alabama.
2. Honda Accord
Honda is one of the largest foreign automakers manufacturing vehicles in the U.S. Along with the Honda Accord, the company builds the CR-V, Odyssey, Pilot, Ridgeline and Civic in the U.S. In total, Honda has four factories in America: two in Ohio, one in Alabama and one in Indiana.
1. Toyota Camry
America’s best-selling car comes from a Japanese automaker that manufactures it in the U.S. It’s also the top car on the list because the Camry sat at number 1 for the second straight year on the 2016 Cars.com American-Made Index. The Index not only looks at where cars are built, but also if they use a high percentage of domestic parts as well as how many are sold to American consumers. Last year, Toyota sold 388,618 Camry sedans in the U.S.
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