Ford shipped in 378,123 cars, many from its Mexican assembly plants. BMW imported fewer cars into America than any of the Detroit 3 did. Tesla sold every car in America last year without importing a single unit. The label suggests domestic dominance, but the reality is more complicated. Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis, the so-called Detroit 3, are often viewed as the most American car brands in operation. New data tells a different story. They import more vehicles into the US than many expect, in some cases even more than foreign makers like BMW. Read: BMW Sold More Cars Than Ever In America, But EV Buyers Checked Out According to data from S&P Global cited in a Detroit News report, Ford imported 378,123 vehicles into the United States last year, a relatively small share of the 2,204,124 units it sold nationwide. Much of that volume comes from Mexico, including core models such as the Maverick, Bronco Sport, and Mustang Mach-E, along with the Lincoln Nautilus, which is sourced from China. GM relies far more heavily on imports than Ford, shipping in 1,170,480 vehicles last year, including 388,280 from its South Korean operations. That represents a significant share of the 2.85 million vehicles it sold in the US. Among the key models GM imports to the United States are the Chevrolet Trax, Chevrolet Trailblazer, Buick Envista, and Buick Encore GX, all of which are built in South Korea. Despite the Trump administration’s tariffs making them more expensive to import than during the Biden era, GM is investing $600 million into its Korean operations to ramp up production. At the same time, it is expanding US capacity, adding hundreds of thousands of units and committing billions to boost domestic output. However, shifting production across regions is not a quick fix. Retooling factories and reworking supply chains takes years, not months, limiting how quickly automakers can respond to policy changes. Buick Envista Data shows that Stellantis is also a major importer of foreign-built vehicles into the US. Last year, it brought in 513,893 units. At the same time, it has been adjusting its manufacturing footprint, shifting some production stateside, including moving Jeep Compass assembly to Illinois. Compared to the Detroit 3, BMW only imported 215,078 vehicles in the US last year, fewer than Ford, GM, and Stellantis. Of course, that figure doesn’t tell the full story as BMW only sold 388,897 vehicles in the US throughout 2025, meaning more than half of its sales were imported. Several other brands are major importers into the United States, the Detroit Free Press notes. For example, Nissan imported 429,451 vehicles last year, VW imported 452,220, and Honda shipped in 556,404 vehicles. In terms of foreign brands, Hyundai and Toyota led the charge, importing 1,092,478 and 1,192,969 vehicles, respectively. Among mainstream, high-volume automakers in the United States, Tesla remains the most American. Its vehicles use the highest percentage of North American content, and last year it did not import a single vehicle into the country. US Imports By Automaker In 2025 AutomakerVehicles ImportedTesla0BMW215,078Ford378,123Nissan429,451Volkswagen452,220Stellantis513,893Honda556,404Hyundai1,092,478GM1,170,480Toyota1,192,969 SWIPE Source S&P Global