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Here Are the Top 10 Most American Cars of 2022
American University's annual survey of domestic content reveals the vehicles that qualify as the "most American."
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Images courtesy of Ford Motor Co, Stellantis, General Motors
Professor Frank L. DuBois of the Department of Information Technology and Analytics, in American University's Kogod School of Business, has finished crunching the data analyzing the domestic content of new vehicles to determine the ones that can be identified as the "most American" for 2022.
DuBois's team breaks down the definition by looking at seven fundamental attributes. They are:
Profit Margin: Measured based on the location of an automaker's headquarters. If an automaker's global headquarters is located in the US, the model receives a 6; if not, it receives a 0. The assumption here is that an average of 6 percent of a vehicle's value is profit margin, so profits remain in the country if the automaker is US-based.
Labor. Where the car is assembled. If a model is assembled in the US, it receives a 6; if not, the model receives a 0. We assume that approximately 6 percent of the vehicle's value is labor content.
Research and Development (R&D). The location of a car's R&D activities. If the model is a product of a US company, it receives a 6. If it is the product of a foreign company but is assembled in the U.S. it receives a 3; if it is a foreign import it receives a 1.
Inventory, Capital, and Other Expenses. If assembly occurs in the US, the model receives an 11; if not, it receives a 0.
Engine. If the engine is produced in the US, the model receives a 14; if not it receives a 0.
Transmission. If the transmission is produced in the US, the model receives a 7; if not it receives a 0.
Body, Chassis, and Electrical Components. 50 percent of a vehicle's score is assigned to this category. The AALA percentage is divided into two to derive this score.
This year's list mark's AU's tenth such round up, and DuBois was able to identify some trends over that time. "When considering the changes in domestic content since 2015 by manufacturers with significant sales and operations in the USA, we found that foreign manufacturers were more likely to increase US sourcing overall than US manufacturers," the report states. Additionally, changes to the North American Free Trade Agreement are further expected to incentivize manufacturers to shift even more production to the U.S., the report speculates.
About the Author
Dan’s coverage of the auto industry over three decades has taken him to the racetracks, automotive engineering centers, vehicle simulators, wind tunnels, and crash-test labs of the world.
A member of the North American Car, Truck, and Utility of the Year jury, Dan also contributes car reviews to Popular Science magazine, serves on the International Engine of the Year jury, and has judged the collegiate Formula SAE competition.
Dan is a winner of the International Motor Press Association's Ken Purdy Award for automotive writing, as well as the National Motorsports Press Association's award for magazine writing and the Washington Automotive Press Association's Golden Quill award.
Dan, testing the 2025 Aston Martin Vanquish. ANDY MORGAN/ASTON MARTIN
He has held a Sports Car Club of America racing license since 1991, is an SCCA National race winner, two-time SCCA Runoffs competitor in Formula F, and an Old Dominion Region Driver of the Year award winner. Co-drove a Ford Focus 1.0-liter EcoBoost to 16 Federation Internationale de l’Automobile-accredited world speed records over distances from just under 1km to over 4,104km at the CERAM test circuit in Mortefontaine, France.
He was also a longtime contributor to the Society of Automotive Engineers' Automotive Engineering International magazine.
He specializes in analyzing technical developments, particularly in the areas of motorsports, efficiency, and safety.
He has been published in The New York Times, NBC News, Motor Trend, Popular Mechanics, The Washington Post, Hagerty, AutoTrader.com, Maxim, RaceCar Engineering, AutoWeek, Virginia Living, and others.
Dan has authored books on the Honda S2000 and Dodge Viper sports cars and contributed automotive content to the consumer finance book, Fight For Your Money.
He is a member and past president of the Washington Automotive Press Association and is a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers.
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