Which Cars Are Really American?

Miami Herald

a day ago

Some media outlets, such as Cars.com, define American cars based on final assembly location, percentage of U.S. and Canadian parts, country of origin for the engine and transmission, and the size of the automaker's U.S. manufacturing workforce. Despite this classification, it's hard to consider a Kia EV6 an American car, no matter how much of it is made here. Given it's the July 4th weekend, it's time to choose true American cars based on their place in our hearts, not our manufacturing footprint. Oh, and by the way, all are built in America.
While no longer America's top-selling vehicle, a designation it held for 42 years, it remains America's favorite pickup truck, and with good reason. Despite being outsold by the Toyota RAV4, the Ford F-150 remains America's modern-day Conestoga, with a variety of configurations that are just right for so many American car buyers. Offered in three cab sizes and three bed lengths, it can be everything from a barebones work truck (XL trim), lavish luxury hauler (King Ranch), urban warrior (Lobo), off-road warrior (Tremor), off-road Racer (F-150 Raptor), or concerned environmentalist (F-150 Lightning). It can be powered by a V-8, twin-turbo V-6, hybrid, or battery electric powertrains, and its cred as an American icon is undisputed, since the F-Series debuted during the Truman Administration. Few American cars have such heritage or offer so much choice. Yet it's still much like America itself: outsized, overbuilt, and running on 87-octane unleaded.
Just as America was an offshoot of England, so too was America's most iconic vehicle. What would become the Jeep was designed by American Bantam of Butler, PA as a reorganized version of American Austin, a 1930s-era attempt to popularize the British brand stateside. When Austin pulled out, the remnants of the company soldiered on, answering the U.S. military's request for a light reconnaissance vehicle. Since American Bantam had already built tiny cars, creating the new diminutive Jeep was a snap.
They completed their prototype in 49 days, whereupon their plans were given to Willys-Overland and Ford Motor Company, who ultimately won the government contract. A civilian version of the Jeep arrived at war's end, built by Willys, then Kaiser Jeep, then American Motors Corporation, then Chrysler Corporation, then Daimler-Chrysler, then Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles, and now Stellantis. It single-handedly created the SUV segment, now the dominant vehicle type in the U.S. market. It might as well be a four-wheel constitutional amendment. While it lacks the refinement of its competitors, the Jeep Wrangler remains a reminder that vehicles are tools, not tech gadgets with cup holders.
Chrysler, Dodge, Ford, Lincoln, Chevrolet, and Buick no longer build sedans. Cadillac still does, but the CT4 and CT5 are strikingly off-key for Cadillacs, and the Celestiq EV looks more like a Citroen SM than a Cadillac. That leaves the Lucid Air and Tesla Model S and 3. The Lucid Air makes a compelling case as to why sedans still matter. Designed in California and built in Arizona, its look is elegant and unmistakable, like a Scandinavian who went to finishing school. It boasts some of the fastest recharge times of any EV, delivers the sort of incredibly quick acceleration you'd expect from the world's premier sports cars, and has a cabin that's opulently well-dressed. It indulges you in a way few cars can, with enough comfort and athleticism to deliver a driving experience of the first order. Yet there's little to be guilty of, as it signals that your soul is green and you are doing your part and care about the planet, but not enough to take the bus. Its combination of technology, design, and extravagance makes it the ultimate American sedan.
Corvette partisans may take issue with this choice, but the Ford Mustang remains true to its heritage and design. There's a clear design lineage from its very start, and the basics of the car remain much the same as they did the day it was born. That's something that can't be said of the Corvette, although we do love it. The Mustang is the approachable, everyday pony car, one that spawned a whole class of imitators and which remains the only one left standing. As always, it can be equipped from mild (315-hp four-cylinder EcoBoost) to wild (500-hp supercharged V-8 Dark Horse) and can still be had with the ultimate anti-theft device, one that proves to be amazingly fun as well, aka a six-speed manual. But you can get it with a ten-speed automatic transmission as well, should you prefer it. Offered as a fastback coupe and soft-top convertible, it retains the same lighthearted, party persona it was born with 61 years ago. Thank goodness for that.
Climbing inside a Cadillac Escalade SUV will evoke a reaction from everyone who remembers Cadillac's heyday that only those who have lived through it can understand. The Escalade's job is essentially the same, despite the fact that cars are very different nowadays. In other words, full-size comfort, all the mod cons, easy V8 power, and an extravagant appearance that makes it obvious you've made it.
Overfed, arrogant, and possessing the aerodynamic profile of a garden shed, the high-performance variant, the Escalade V, sprints from 0 to 60 mph in 4.4 seconds. It's a 6,200-pound middle finger to subtlety, nuance, and everything that smells of quinoa. It's no wonder this car is the newfound favorite of black car services nationwide. It's The Incredible Bulk, a rolling fortress of indulgence with a 38-inch OLED display screen that's large enough to be put to work on Times Square. It can yank 7,000 pounds of your favorite plaything and carry up to 121 cubic feet of lifestyle debris. Whether you're driving or being driven, Super Cruise, Cadillac's hands-free driving system, lets the Escalade drive itself, indulging our willingness as Americans to let someone else do the heavy lifting. It's the anti-Puritan aesthetic that makes the Cadillac Escalade the ultimate, indulgent, modern American road servant.
It's hard to consider the Tesla Model Y, the brand's bestselling model, without considering the man who runs the company. Regardless of what you think of Elon Musk personally, he has managed to pull off what once seemed impossible. He made electric cars a desirable item by burnishing them with a tech-like sheen, allowing them to appeal to our longing for something truly different. Its Bauhaus design sensibility is little surprise given its origins in the nerdy world of Silicon Valley.
Neither is its Spartan interior with a sizable screen to feed your tech ego and cupholders capacious enough to hold your $7 organic kombucha. The Model Y will run anywhere from 227 to 337 miles, depending on the model. While that's fairly standard in the EV world these days, it's still more than acceptable, and Model Ys generate anywhere from 295 to 456 horsepower. Despite looking like a jellybean on a keto diet, it offers 106 cubic feet of passenger volume and 30 cubic feet of cargo volume, expanding to 76 cubic feet with the second row folded. It may not be your first choice in an EV, given the CEO's political shenanigans, but the Tesla Model Y earns its accolade due to its ability to lure consumers to buy electric cars, despite not ever having truly wanted them. It also came from an American automotive startup, the first to succeed since Kaiser-Frazer was formed in 1945.
An American car emits a certain feeling, one that clearly separates it from its Asian or Old-World competition. There's a brashness, a sense of overstatement and overachievement that renders them so seductive. And that's what makes them truly American.
Copyright 2025 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.