Silverado supports U.S. competitiveness in the automotive and related industries by providing up-to-date, transparent data to support informed policies that (1) strengthen manufacturing supply chains, (2) promote fair competition in the U.S. domestic market and export markets, and (3) support demand for and trade in U.S. products.

This is the landing page for all of Silverado’s work on motor vehicles, vehicle parts and components (e.g., steel, aluminum), and vehicle-related critical minerals (e.g., lithium, cobalt). It contains data dashboards, reports, and webinars that cover many countries and sectors.

Motor Vehicles and Vehicle Parts:

Dashboard: U.S. Imports of Vehicle Parts (June 2025)

This data dashboard disaggregates U.S. vehicle part import data into several different part categories and presents the top sources for those imports (e.g., Mexico). It also takes a deeper look at U.S. vehicle part imports from China.

Global Passenger Vehicle and Light Truck Export Profile (April 2025)

This profile presents global vehicle trade data by vehicle and engine type for the largest exporters. It shows China’s increasing share of the market both in terms of number of vehicles and their value.

China Passenger Vehicle Export Profile (March 2024)

This data dashboard focuses on data trends of Chinese passenger vehicle exports through 2023. Chinese exports increased to all regions, including the United States, which imposed the highest tariff rates on vehicles from China.

Silverado and USITC Webinar: Market Watch - China's EV Trade (March 2024) Experts from Silverado Policy Accelerator and the U.S. International Trade Commission discussed the continued evolution of the Chinese electric vehicle industry, and the potential implications for U.S. production, U.S. producers, and the U.S. market.

U.S. Electric Passenger Vehicle Import Trends (March 2024)

This data dashboard provides data on electric and plug-in hybrid vehicle imports by the United States. It shows trends for both the top sources for U.S. imports (e.g., South Korea and Japan), as well as China.

Steel:

U.S. Steel Producers Dashboard (February 2025)

This data dashboard presents steel and iron data for U.S. production, capacity and employment. It shows an industry that was largely stable from 2023 to 2024, with the volume of production, the value of shipments, and employment in 2024 at around the same levels as in 2023. U.S. vehicle production is one of the largest uses of U.S.-produced steel.

Steel Mill Products: U.S. Production and Trade (November 2024)

This report provides a background on U.S. production and trade of steel mill products. The United States is a large producer of flat rolled (e.g., steel sheet) products, such as those required in the automotive sector.

The U.S. Iron and Steel Industry: State-Level Production and Employment (November 2024)

This report describes how the U.S. steel industry is widely distributed across the country, with establishments in many states engaged in producing raw steel and/or purchasing steel to produce other steel mill products.

Aluminum:

Unwrought and Wrought Aluminum: U.S. Production and Trade (December 2024)

This report explains that the United States has one of the world’s largest global aluminum markets and a large domestic industry, with U.S. producers participating in each stage of the aluminum manufacturing value chain. Transportation equipment, including motor vehicle production, is the largest end use of aluminum in the United States.

Unwrought and Wrought Aluminum: State-Level Production and Employment (December 2024)

This report examines the current state of aluminum production in the United States at the state level. Aluminum production is widely distributed, with 41 states having unwrought and/or wrought aluminum plants.

Vehicle-related Critical Minerals

Silverado and WireScreen Co-Host "Elements of Control" Webinar (July 2025)

Members of Silverado Policy Accelerator's Research & Analysis team and WireScreen recently collaborated in co-hosting a webinar titled "Elements of Control: Illuminating China's leading role in critical minerals refining." The webinar explored China's dominance of the critical mineral refining industry, and the ties between government, the defense industrial base, and major players in cobalt, lithium, and tantalum.

Lithium at a Crossroads Data Update (May 2025)

This report uses new data to provide an update to Silverado’s May 2023 report on the Global Lithium Market and associated Webinar. It highlights the challenging conditions facing the lithium industry in 2024, with oversupply and low capacity utilization at Chinese refineries putting downward pressure on prices.

Dual-Use Critical Mineral Global Production Dashboard (May 2025)

Silverado defines dual-use minerals as lithium, cobalt, manganese, and nickel, which serve critical roles in battery production as well as other applications including defense, energy, and industrial applications. This dashboard provides data trends for these minerals and looks at China’s significant control over their markets.

Webinar: Lithium-Ion Batteries and their Global Value Chains (March 2023)

Silverado Policy Accelerator hosted a webinar with experts from the U.S. International Trade Commission focused on critical mineral global value chains for electric vehicle batteries. The participants dove deep on the market, production and trade for four critical minerals: cobalt, nickel, lithium and graphite.

Cobalt: A Review of the Current State of the Global Supply Chain (July 2025)

This report assesses the recent trends in the global cobalt market, production, and trade. Cobalt is a critical mineral used in the production of batteries for electric vehicles among other applications. Cobalt demand significantly increased in recent years, driven primarily by rising electric vehicle demand, though demand growth has been moderated by a shift in battery chemistries.

For more information on critical minerals, please visit Silverado's Critical Mineral Portfolio.

Contacts

Policy Team

Sarah Stewart, CEO and Executive Director (sarah@silverado.org)

John Corrigan, Senior Director for Trade & Industrial Security (john@silverado.org)

Research Team

Andrew David, Vice President of Research and Analysis (andy@silverado.org)

Mitch Semanik, Associate Director of Research and Analysis, (mitch@silverado.org)