As names like Gladiator, Yukon, and Sierra suggest, the best-selling passenger vehicles from American car companies in the U.S. are, well, enormous. Not only have American consumers ditched smaller sedans for larger SUVs and pickup trucks over the past 20 years, but when they buy vehicles from American car companies, they tend to go big.
To determine the 25 best-selling American cars of last year, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed sales data from vehicle data site GoodCarBadCar. Only models made by American companies were considered. Vehicles were ranked by total unit sales for the first six months of 2021.Â
Naturally, cars from the Big Three car companies — Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler (now Stellantis North America) — dominate the list. General Motors has the most models with 10, six of them Chevrolet. Ford has seven models on the list, and Stellantis six. But a relative newcomer, electric car manufacturer Tesla, also made the list with two models, at No. 17 and No. 11. And this is the best city for electric cars.
Of course, vehicles from U.S. automakers aren’t necessarily made in the USA. For example, the Buick Encore (No. 23), a subcompact crossover SUV, is assembled at a GM plant in South Korea. Adding to these blurry lines is the fact that car parts are made all over the globe, and even if a car is assembled abroad, it often contains a percentage of U.S.-made components, and vice versa. Here’s a list of the most American-made cars you can buy.
Also, many car companies are multinational entities. For example, Chrysler is based in Auburn Hill, Michigan, but is itself a subsidiary of Stellantis, an Italian-American conglomerate formed in 2021 after the merger between Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and France’s PSA Group. Stellantis is headquartered in Amsterdam.Â
Generally speaking, American-brand large SUVs and pickup trucks are more likely to be the “most American” vehicles on the market as the profit margins on these vehicles are considered by automakers to be wide enough to avoid outsourcing their manufacturing to low-cost factories outside of the U.S. And nearly all of the cars on this list are SUVs or larger vehicles.
Click here to see the best-selling American cars in 2021
Source: Courtesy of Dodge
25. Dodge Charger
> Year-to-date sales: 42,103 units
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24. GMC Yukon
> Year-to-date sales: 42,317 units
Source: shaunl / iStock Unreleased via Getty Images
23. Buick Encore GX
> Year-to-date sales: 44,680 units
Source: Courtesy of GMC
22. GMC Acadia
> Year-to-date sales: 46,222 units
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Source: shaunl / iStock Unreleased via Getty Images
21. Ford Expedition
> Year-to-date sales: 47,508 units
Source: Courtesy of Chevrolet
20. Chevrolet TrailBlazer
> Year-to-date sales: 48,368 units
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Source: jetcityimage / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
19. Jeep Gladiator
> Year-to-date sales: 48,784 units
Source: Bill Pugliano / Getty Images News via Getty Images
18. Chevrolet Tahoe
> Year-to-date sales: 50,935 units
Source: shaunl / iStock Unreleased via Getty Images
17. Tesla Model 3
> Year-to-date sales: 51,511 units
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Source: Courtesy of Ford Co.
16. Ford Transit
> Year-to-date sales: 51,713 units
15. Ford Ranger
> Year-to-date sales: 58,371 units
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Source: shaunl / iStock Unreleased via Getty Images
14. Ford Bronco Sport
> Year-to-date sales: 60,514 units
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Source: Courtesy of Chevrolet
13. Chevrolet Suburban
> Year-to-date sales: 61,460 units
Source: Courtesy of JEEP
12. Jeep Cherokee
> Year-to-date sales: 67,158 units
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Source: Courtesy of Tesla
11. Tesla Model Y
> Year-to-date sales: 76,428 units
Source: Courtesy of Chevrolet
10. Chevrolet Traverse
> Year-to-date sales: 83,431 units
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Source: Courtesy of Ford Co.
9. Ford Escape
> Year-to-date sales: 85,492 units
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Source: Bill Pugliano / Getty Images News via Getty Images
8. Jeep Grand Cherokee
> Year-to-date sales: 107,924 units
Source: shaunl / iStock Unreleased via Getty Images
7. Ford Explorer
> Year-to-date sales: 118,241 units
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Source: Courtesy of JEEP
6. Jeep Wrangler
> Year-to-date sales: 118,666 units
Source: Courtesy of Chevrolet
5. Chevrolet Equinox
> Year-to-date sales: 118,667 units
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Source: Courtesy of GMC
4. GMC Sierra
> Year-to-date sales: 138,411 units
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Source: Courtesy of Chevrolet
3. Chevrolet Silverado
> Year-to-date sales: 291,321 units
Source: Courtesy of RAM Trucks
2. Ram Pickup
> Year-to-date sales: 313,069 units
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Source: Ford Motor Co.
1. Ford F-Series
> Year-to-date sales: 362,031 units
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