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Does a US made Model 3 include parts from China?
- Thread starter ZapM3P
- Start date
Did you actually think that just because a car is "made in US" that ment that 100% of the parts were also "made in US"? That does not exist in virtually any product made in the US.
Shelburne
Member
I read recently that Model 3's made in Fremont have the highest percentage of parts made in the U.S. of any car sold here. But that certainly doesn't mean all parts are made here.
rpiotro
Active Member
True! Just this summer they surpassed Ford as the most American made auto. Pretty low bar though.
Woah there sparky. I was just surprised since the Monroeny says 65% usa and 15% mexico for part origins. Guess the last 20% is china.
The countries are listed in order of percentage of _cost_, so the percentage of cost from China would have to be less than the percentage of cost from Mexico.
I wrote the comment the way I did, because the original thread title (before I changed it), was something like "China parts in US M3???" the extra question marks usually indicate Incredulity or extreme surprise, as if something is unbelievable. I then decided that the thread title was a bit inflammatory the way it was , so changed the title to something I felt was less likely to start a debate on manufacturing, china, etc.
I thought the new title would be more likely to have regular discussion vs focusing on the incredulousness of china parts in a US car.
Wait. I didn't pay attention to the title after I posted the thread. So you changed my orgianl post title????????? Now that sure sounds like it's made in china.
I think the thread title is wrong. You asked how many and which, not whether.
They include a bunch of Chinese parts. But I shouldn't be surprised if they make sure that it doesn't exceed the value of the parts from Mexico.
Also, they've begun offering Model 3s with Chinese batteries to people in the USA and those would obviously have a higher percentage of Chinese parts.
srs5694
Active Member
There are several outfits that try to quantify the amount of US-made content in cars. The last time I checked this (2+ years ago), the Tesla Model 3 was high on most such indexes, but not at the very top. I just checked again, and the Model 3 is now #1 on at least one such list, the Cars.com American-made index. That list puts the Ford Mustang (the gas-powered version) at #2 and the Model Y at #3. Another similar list, the Kogod index, has a slightly different ranking. According to them, the Mustang is #1, the Corvette Sting-Ray is #2, and the Model 3 is #3. (The Model S and Model Y tie for #5 on this index.) The Kogod index specifies that the Model 3 has only 65% USA/Canada content. I haven't dug deep enough to know what their criteria are. Both these lists are for MY 2021 vehicles.
My own 2019 Model 3's window sticker specifies 50% USA/Canada content and 25% Mexican content. I seem to recall reading somewhere that Chinese content was next on the list for the 2019 Model 3, but I don't see that on the window sticker, so either I read it elsewhere or I'm not remembering correctly. My guess -- and it's only a guess -- is that a lot of the chips and other electronics come from China, since that's one area where Chinese manufacturing is very strong.
I've seen some reporting that Tesla is considering using Chinese-made batteries in SR+ Model 3s -- even those made in the USA. If this happens, then that will change the made-in-China percentage for these vehicles in a big way. I haven't been following this very closely, though, so somebody else may have better information.
maclean525
Member
The confusion is because "made" "assembled" "manufactured" "constructed" all mean slightly different things. If I mine bauxite ore in Africa, smelt it into Aluminum in China, cast it into a suspension piece, ship it to the USA, attach multiple assemblies to it and then and bolt it onto a Model 3 frame on an assembly line, where was that part "made/constructed/assembled/manufactured"?
It's complicated
It's complicated
We offshored all the dirty manufacturing to China in part because of EPA regulations here, but then we complain when parts for our consumption come from there.
I know right?! Those people....I can't believe their audacity. It must be the same type that complain about panel gaps and build imperfections. Just shut up, drive, and be happy.
The confusion is because "made" "assembled" "manufactured" "constructed" all mean slightly different things. If I mine bauxite ore in Africa, smelt it into Aluminum in China, cast it into a suspension piece, ship it to the USA, attach multiple assemblies to it and then and bolt it onto a Model 3 frame on an assembly line, where was that part "made/constructed/assembled/manufactured"?
It's complicated
Definitely something my tiny little brain can comprehend. Thanks for clearing up my ignorance about part origin semantics.
I was was looking under my 3LR21 for battery sticker, no luck, but I saw stickers with “made in Mexico” , I thought Teslas were manufactured in US or China. Is it normal to have your Tesla parts made in Mexico?
rpiotro
Active Member
Have you read the rest of this thread? I think your question was already answered.
