GM Imported More Cars Into the US Last Year Than Toyota

When politicians invoke the Detroit 3 as the benchmark of American manufacturing, the S&P Global import data from 2025 tells a different version. General Motors imported 1,170,480 vehicles into the United States last year, 388,280 of them from South Korean plants. That total exceeds BMW's US import volume by more than five to one, and trails Toyota by only 22,489 units.

The brands marketed as the most American cars in America are, collectively, the largest importers of foreign-built vehicles into the American market.

Ford's 2025 imports totaled 378,123 vehicles, a 17 percent share of the 2.2 million it sold nationwide. The Mexican-built Maverick, Bronco Sport, and Mustang Mach-E account for much of that volume, along with the Lincoln Nautilus sourced from China. Stellantis imported 513,893 units and has been shifting some assembly stateside, including Jeep Compass production moving to Illinois.

GM's Korean concentration is the most notable detail. The Chevrolet Trax, Trailblazer, Buick Envista, and Encore GX all arrive from South Korean factories. Despite the Trump administration's tariffs increasing the cost of those imports, GM is committing $600 million to expand Korean production capacity. The company is also adding US output, but executives acknowledge that retooling plants and reworking supply chains takes years, not quarters.

By contrast, Tesla imported zero vehicles into the US in 2025 and carries the highest proportion of North American content among high-volume automakers. The brand most associated with disrupting the old Detroit order is, by this specific metric, also its most domestic manufacturer.