CARS.COM'S AMERICAN-MADE INDEX ADDS TESLA TO EXCLUSIVE LIST OF MULTIYEAR CHART-TOPPERS, MODEL Y NABS NO. 1

Honda and Tesla Each Appear 4x in Top 10 Alongside Jeep and Lincoln, Which Secure Top Spots; GM Dominates List With Its Models Claiming 20% of Overall Index

Consumer Preference for American-Made Vehicles Jumps 22% Year Over Year

CHICAGO, June 21, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Cars.com™ (NYSE: CARS), the car-shopping marketplace, today announced the vehicles topping the charts of its 2022 American-Made Index (AMI), an annual independent ranking of vehicle makes and models creating the greatest impact on the U.S. economy through factory jobs, manufacturing plants and parts sourcing. For the second consecutive year, Austin, Texas-based Tesla claims the title of most American-made, this time with the Model Y. Tesla now owns the top two spots in the Index, with the Model 3 — last year's chart-topper — coming in second. To view the complete list, visit Cars.com/AMI.

Experience the interactive Multichannel News Release here: https://www.multivu.com/players/English/9060351-cars-com-american-made-index/

Tesla landed two additional mentions in the top 10 with the Model X at No. 5 and Model S at No. 6, and Tokyo-based automaker Honda matched Tesla's top 10 showing with four of its own models: the Passport placed fourth, and the Ridgeline, Odyssey and Pilot took the final three spots in the top 10. The other two top AMI performers were the Detroit-based, Ford-owned Lincoln Corsair at No. 3, which jumped more than 60 places from its 2021 ranking, and Hoofddorp, Netherlands-based Stellantis' Jeep Cherokee, an AMI mainstay, in the No. 7 spot.

"The composition of this year's much-anticipated American-Made Index is particularly interesting in the context of our current marketplace, where high gas prices and scarce inventory meet peak consumer interest in electric vehicles and a heightened demand for American-made products," said Jenni Newman, Cars.com editor-in-chief. "That Tesla — an American-made all-electric make — appears frequently and high up on the list may indicate a coming alignment of market forces that could really explode once we break through microchip supply chain issues, especially if gas prices remain historically high. It also bodes well for other OEMs, including Honda, Ford and GM, working to diversify product lines with more EV and hybrid options."

What Matters More in 2022? Affordable, Electric, American

A recent Cars.com consumer survey found that year over year, affordability increased 15% as the most important attribute for car shoppers, and those considering an electric or hybrid vehicle also saw a double-digit bump, up 21% from 2021. However, preference for American-made vehicles is the real story here; because of the pandemic, 40% of car shoppers say that buying a car built in America is now more important to them, up 22% year-over-year.¹

The 2022 AMI Contenders

This year, of the 379 vehicles available in the U.S. auto market, 95 made the index, with sourcing, production and assembly occurring primarily in Michigan (15%), Ohio (12%), Indiana (12%), Alabama (12%) and Tennessee (11%). Though Tesla models fulfill AMI criteria at higher levels than the competition, down the line, automakers GM, Honda, Toyota and Ford dominate the list, representing 19%, 14%, 12% and 12% of all included models, respectively.

Methodology

Cars.com's American-Made Index ranks cars based on five factors: assembly location, parts sourcing as determined by the American Automobile Labeling Act, U.S. factory employment relative to vehicle production, engine sourcing and transmission sourcing. For more information on the 2022 Cars.com American-Made Index, including a deeper dive into the data and methodology, visit www.cars.com/ami.

¹ Cars.com Consumer Survey; May 28-30, 2022; 2001 respondents

ABOUT CARS.COM

CARS is the leading automotive marketplace platform that provides a robust set of digital solutions that connect car shoppers with sellers. Launched in 1998 with the flagship marketplace Cars.com and headquartered in Chicago, the Company empowers shoppers with the data, resources and digital tools needed to make informed buying decisions and seamlessly connect with automotive retailers. In a rapidly changing market, CARS enables dealerships and OEMs with innovative technical solutions and data-driven intelligence to better reach and influence ready-to-buy shoppers, increase inventory turn and gain market share.

In addition to Cars.com, CARS brands include Dealer Inspire, a technology provider building solutions that future-proof dealerships with more efficient operations and connected digital experiences; FUEL, which gives dealers and OEMs the opportunity to harness the untapped power of digital video by leveraging Cars.com's pure audience of in-market car shoppers; DealerRater, a leading car dealer review and reputation management platform; automotive fintech platform CreditIQ and Accu-Trade a vehicle valuation and appraisal technology.

The full suite of CARS properties includes Cars.com™, Dealer Inspire®, FUEL™, DealerRater®, CreditIQ™, Accu-Trade.com™, Auto.com™, PickupTrucks.com™ and NewCars.com®. For more information, visit www.Cars.com.

SOURCE Cars.com Inc.