Honda just beat Detroit at its own American-made game
Five Honda and Acura models claim half the top 10 in the Cars.com American-Made Index 2026. Tesla still leads, but Honda just outbuilt Detroit on Detroit's own turf.
A Japanese brand — and American factories. Honda has topped the Cars.com American-Made Index 2026 for the sheer number of models in the top 10. Five Honda and Acura vehicles landed in the elite ten: Ridgeline, Odyssey, Accord, Passport, and Acura MDX. Half of the most coveted ranking belongs to the Japanese. All while Tesla Model 3 keeps the overall crown for the sixth year running.
Cars.com doesn’t judge cars on final assembly alone. The calculation factors in the share of U.S. and Canadian parts, the country of origin for engines and transmissions, and the headcount at the brand’s American plants. Honda’s logic is simple and consistent: build cars close to the buyer and lean on the local manufacturing base.
Here’s how the 2026 board looks: Honda Ridgeline takes 5th, Odyssey 6th, Accord 8th, Acura MDX 9th, and Honda Passport rounds out the top 10. Two more Acuras — RDX and Integra — cracked the top 20. Ridgeline, Odyssey, and Passport roll off the line at the Lincoln, Alabama plant. Accord and Integra are built in Marysville, Ohio. MDX and RDX come from East Liberty, also in Ohio.
Here’s the kicker. Across the 21-year history of the index, Honda models have made the top 10 more often than anyone else’s. From 2006 to 2026, Honda and Acura racked up 57 such cars. General Motors — 53. Toyota — 40. Ford — just 31. The Japanese outplayed the Americans on their own field. On top of that, Honda’s Alabama plant has become the most prolific factory in the entire history of the ranking — no other U.S. plant has produced more top-10 models.