Made in the USA: Patriotic Car Manufacturers and Models

1. Current United States Car Manufacturers
2. Ford Motor Company
3. Ford
4. Lincoln
5. General Motors Company
6. Chevrolet
7. Buick
8. Cadillac
9. Stellantis
10. Jeep
11. Dodge/Ram
12. Chrysler
13. American Manufacturing Brands Gone, But Not Forgotten
14. Showing Your Patriotic Side

There are plenty of patriotic-themed songs, movies, clothing, and more – all you have to do is take a look around. For example, Bruce Springsteen sang about being “Born in the USA,” Mel Gibson starred in The Patriot, Caroline Kennedy wrote “A Patriot’s Handbook,” and Old Navy releases its line of July 4th patriotic apparel every year. But, did you know that there are many American-made cars on the road today? Many of them with models that are considered “the most patriotic.” These include the Chevy Silverado, Ford Mustang, Jeep Wrangler, Chevy Corvette Stingray, and Ford F-Series trucks.

Current United States Car Manufacturers

Over the years, the United States has seen its share of car manufacturers, including a list of hundreds of defunct car manufacturers. Currently, 11 active car manufacturers exist in the United States – Ford, Chevrolet, Buick, Tesla, Cadillac, GMC, Ram, Dodge, Jeep, Lincoln, and Chrysler.

Ford Motor Company

The Ford Motor Company is an American car designer, manufacturer, marketer, and service of a full line of trucks, sports utility vehicles, cars, and a luxury division (Lincoln). The company was founded in 1903 by Henry Ford, with the current main headquarters located in Dearborn, Michigan.

Ford

Ford has a history of making tough, durable, and notable vehicles, including:

• Model T
• V8
• Thunderbird
• Mustang
• Country Squire
• Escort
• Merkur XR4Ti
• Taurus
• GT
• Focus

Lincoln

The luxury Ford Motor Company division is Lincoln. Notable Lincoln vehicles include:

• L Dietrich Convertible Coupe
• KB LeBaron Convertible Roadster
• Zephyr Coupe-Sedan
• Continental
• Cosmopolitan
• Mark VII

General Motors Company

The General Motors Company (GM) is an American car manufacturer headquartered in Detroit, Michigan. The company is responsible for designing, manufacturing, marketing, and distributing vehicles and vehicle parts internationally. GM was founded in 1908 (original company) and 2009 (current company and branding) by William C. Durant, Charles Steward Mott, and Frederic L. Smith.

Chevrolet

Examples of popular Chevrolet models include:

• Corvette
• Nova
• Camaro
• Chevelle
• Impala
• Cameo Carrier Pickup
• Series C Classic Six

Buick

A few of the most popular Buick cars of all time include:

• Skyhawk
• Special Skylark
• Century
• Riviera
• GSX Stage 1
• Roadmaster
• Wildcat GS
• Regal
• Encave
• Encore

Cadillac

The Cadillac vehicles that are popular in the history of the car manufacturer include:

• Phaeton5859
• Series 62 Convertible
• Eldorado Biarritz
• Ciel
• Series 67 Park Avenue
• DeVille
• Fleetwood Brougham V8 Coupe

GMC

Many GMC models are also Chevrolet models, so some of the most popular cars include some Chevrolet models. These include:

• Chevrolet Suburban
• Yukon XL
• Acadia
• Sierra
• Savana
• Terrain
• Sonoma
• Syclone
• Canyon
• Envoy

Stellantis

Stellantis is a new multinational conglomerate that includes American brands Jeep, Dodge, Ram, and Chrysler. Each of these companies has seen several ownership changes, with the most recent predecessor being Fiat Chrysler. 

Jeep

Christian Meunier founded Jeep in 1941. Some of the popular models include:

• Wrangler
• Grand Cherokee
• Cherokee
• Wagoneer
• Gladiator

Dodge/Ram

The original Dodge brand was founded in 1914 by Timothy Kuniskis. In 2010, Michael Koval found a spin-off truck brand named Ram. These trucks come in several different trim levels, engines, fuel sources, etc. The more popular Dodge vehicle models include:

• Dart
• Charger
• Viper
• Avenger
• Magnum
• Caliber

Chrysler

The Chrysler brand was founded in 1925 by Timothy Kuniskis, the same founder of Dodge. Popular Chrysler brands over the years include:

• New Yorker
• Imperial
• Town & Country
• Windsor
• Concorde
• Newport
• 300

American Manufacturing Brands Gone, But Not Forgotten

Over the years, plenty of car manufacturers have come and gone, but many of them are not forgotten (granted, some of them are). These brands are called defunct, meaning that they are no longer existing or functioning. Many of these brands may still be on the road, but for whatever reason, new ones are not being manufactured. Many of the companies will sever these manufacturing brands to reduce costs or when filing bankruptcy.

Some of the American manufacturing brands that are defunct that were popular for a time include:

• AMC was popular for the Gremlin, Pacer, and Hornet.
• Pontiac was popular for the TransAm, GTO, and Grand Prix.
• Mercury was popular for the Sable, Mariner, and Cougar.
• Suzuki was popular for the Samurai and Sidekick.
• Saab was popular for the Turbo X, 9-5, and 9000.
• Plymouth was famous for the Voyager, RoadRunner, and Neon.

These different brands were once popular but, for whatever reason, became defunct. However, you may be able to see many of these American-made cars still on the road today.

Showing Your Patriotic Side

Many American-made cars on the road can be found just by looking outside your window or driving across your town. When you see these cars, it may not be apparent that they are made in America, but some will only be found in museums. 

Art cars are a popular way of expressing patriotic pride—cars painted red, white, blue, and the American flag, including stars and stripes. Festivals worldwide feature these types of cars, especially parades for art cars, which occur all around the world. 

How do you show your patriotic spirit?