EXCLUSIVE: Trump policies drive auto manufacturing surge: 83% of Ford vehicles now built in U.S.
Industry data released this week offers strong evidence that President Donald Trump’s tariff and trade policies are reshaping where the world’s automakers build their cars, and no company is leaning harder into the “Made in America” moment than Ford.
According to figures released Monday by S&P Global Mobility, Ford only imported 378,123 finished vehicles into the United States in 2025, fewer than every major automaker except Tesla and luxury German carmaker BMW. Toyota topped the list with nearly 1.2 million imported vehicles, followed by General Motors with 1.17 million, and Hyundai with 1.09 million. Honda, Stellantis, Volkswagen, and Nissan each imported more than 400,000.
Rep. Bill Huizenga (R., Mich.) praised the economic news, telling the Reporter, “It is great to see a Michigan manufacturer like Ford prioritize assembling their products in the United States. I have fought alongside President Trump to reshore American manufacturing and reward consumers by making auto loan interest on American made vehicles tax deductible.”
Ford assembled six vehicles in the U.S. for every one vehicle it imported last year, making it the carmaker to produce the most U.S.-made vehicles (2 million), Ford CEO Jim Farley said earlier this month that Ford assembled six vehicles in the United States for every one it imported last year — totalling more than 2 million U.S.-built vehicles, the highest of any carmaker.. Eighty-three percent of the vehicles Ford sold in the U.S. in 2025 were assembled domestically, up from roughly 80 percent the year before.
“We’re going to continue to invest,” Farley said, pointing to Ford’s planned hiring “across America in the next few years to support launching new gas, hybrid and electric vehicles; batteries; and battery energy storage systems.” Major launches are underway at Ford’s Glendale, Kentucky, battery plant; BlueOval Battery Park in Michigan; Assembly Plant in Ohio; and Truck Plant in Tennessee.
Rep. Tim Walberg (R., Mich.) cited the Trump Administration’s policies as the reason for the successful manufacturing numbers, telling the Reporter, “Made-in-America auto manufacturing is roaring back thanks to the policies of the Trump administration that put American workers first. By prioritizing growth over unrealistic mandates, we’re creating jobs, putting consumers back in the driver’s seat, and helping make life more affordable for American families.”
The numbers arrive as the White House continues to make the auto industry success the centerpiece of its affordability and manufacturing pitch heading into the midterms. In January, Trump toured Ford’s River Rouge Complex in Michigan alongside lawmakers to showcase falling vehicle prices, new tax relief for buyers of U.S.-built vehicles, and billions in fresh domestic investment.
Sen. Tom Cotton (R., Ark.) told the Reporter at the time that “thanks to President Trump’s policies and the Working Families Tax Cut, Arkansans and all Americans will have more choices for lower-cost vehicles free from harmful D.C. mandates. We will continue fighting for working families who need lower costs and bigger paychecks.”
Former Rep. and current Michigan Senate candidate Mike Rogers also praised the direction of the industry, telling the Reporter that “the Great American comeback is underway.” Rogers, the GOP’s likely Senate nominee, added that if elected, he “will be the backup President Trump needs in the Senate to keep reshoring manufacturing jobs and making life more affordable for working families.”
A spokesperson for the White House told the Washington Reporter, “No president has done more to revive the American auto industry than President Trump, who has championed an aggressive agenda of auto tariffs, rapid deregulation, tax cuts, and even a new tax deduction on interest payments for Made-in-USA autos. The Trump administration will continue to prioritize America’s national and economic security.”