Many people in the US have the misconception that Tesla is a maker of Chinese electric vehicles based solely on the fact that it operates a Chinese gigafactory. This couldn't be further from the truth, as Tesla is an American company that usually produces its cars close to their point of sale. Even though this is not always possible, either because there is no production facility for a particular model in specific regions, the big picture still shows Tesla as a highly locally integrated manufacturer.
Not only that but as more American carmakers started importing parts or even complete vehicles from around the world, their American-ness started to wane. Detroit Three, for instance, had no model among the first 10 in 2023 Cars.com's American-made Index, despite operating car manufacturing plants in the US and other North American countries. That's because not only the final production place counts but many other factors, including the percentage of US and Canadian parts, countries of origin for all available powertrains, and the use of US manufacturing force.
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