Jeep is named the "Most Patriotic Brand" by a new survey - but is it an "All-American" vehicle?

In the wake of the twin, 1970s energy shocks, when high-mileage automotive imports suddenly began grabbing market share, Detroit carmakers tried to fight back by urging motorists to “Buy American.” But these days, even though there’s growing support for U.S. manufacturing, it can be a challenge to figure out what really is an American car.

If you’re looking for products actually assembled in the U.S., for example, you might prefer an Ohio-made Honda Civic to a Ford Fiesta assembled in Mexico. Then again, a new survey says Americans see Jeep as the absolute pinnacle of patriotic brands – automotive and otherwise.

The research, by the New York-based firm Brand Keys, cites Jeep as the “most patriotic brand,” beating out names like Hershey’s, Levis, Harley-Davidson  and Coca Cola.  Jeep of course earned its honors by providing reliable transportation for American GI’s in World War II.

The Ford F-150 is named the "Most American" vehicle on the road this year, beating out the Toyota Camry.

The original Jeep remained in production for more than 40 years and continued to serve the American military in places like Korea and Vietnam and at American garrisons all over the world – while also starring in countless movies and television shows, from MASH to China Beach.

So perhaps it’s really not that big of a surprise the Jeep name came out on top in the survey which pitted 197 famous brand names in 35 categories, Jeep topping all others with a score of 98 out of 100 on a scale representing consumers’ emotional engagement expectations, according to Brand Keys.

In fact, Jeep was one of only two auto brands in the Top 25. The other was Ford, in 16th place. Interestingly, no General Motors brands are on the list, including Chevrolet, which has long wrapped itself in the flag with ad taglines like “Heartbeat of America,” and the long-running slogan, “Hot dogs, apple pie and Chevrolet.”

“As marketers traditionally operate on the Independence Day theory that a patriotic, flag-waving call-to-emotion will motivate consumers to behave more positively toward their brands, we wanted to see which brands actually led when it came to that particular value,” says Robert Passikoff, president of Brand Keys, in a statement.

In today’s increasingly globalized economy, patriotism often takes a back seat.  Indeed, nearly three out of four Chevrolets are now sold overseas.  And even the flag-waving Jeep relies on a mix of components coming from places as far afield as Latin America, Europe and Asia.

So, picking the “All-American” vehicle can be a lot more complicated than it looks, as another new study demonstrates.

“Patriotic shoppers looking to buy American-made cars over the 4th of July holiday might be surprised to learn that Japanese brands Toyota and Honda produce some of the ‘most American’ vehicles on the market,” cautions Edmunds.com.  In fact, the buying service suggests, the “most American” vehicle in four of eight vehicle segments are made two Japanese brands.

It cites the Toyota Avalon (80% U.S./Canadian content) as the “most American” sedan, with 80% of its parts content coming from the U.S. or Canada, while 75% of the parts in the Toyota Tundra pickup and 65% of the Toyota Venza (65%) come from the States or our neighbor to the north, putting them at the top of the tuck and wagon categories.   Meanwhile, the Honda Crosstour was named the “most American” hatchback, with a 75% American parts content.

The Chrysler 200, the Chevrolet Camaro, the Dodge Grand Caravan, the Ford Expedition and F-150 and Cadillac CTS also do well on the American content score, according to the Edmunds survey.

“In a world of global supply chains, buying an ‘American’ car can be difficult,” says Edmunds.com Consumer Advice Editor Carroll Lachnit. “A car’s ‘American-ness’ is often in the eye of the car shopper and the manufacturer. The 2013 Avalon, for example, was designed, engineered and manufactured in the United States and 80% of its content is domestic. Many car buyers, however, reject the idea that a company based in Japan makes ‘American’ cars.”

Edmunds also noted the American Automobile Labeling Act (AALA), which requires carmakers to provide parts-sourcing and manufacturing information to car buyers, also defines “American” coming from either the U.S. or Canada..

Edmunds, however, may not be the last word on the issue.

A recent survey by its competitor, Cars.com, cited the Ford F-150 as the most American of vehicles, a factor that may help explain the full0-size truck’s broad and long-running appeal.

(For more on the Most-American study, Click Here.)

The website’s criteria include domestic-parts content, the final assembly location and dominant market for sales. The F-Series’ components are 75% U.S.-made and the final assembly is completed at plants in Michigan and Missouri. The truck displaced the Toyota Camry, which topped the list for several years.

“Ford’s top ranking this year is a good indicator of how pickup trucks are dominating auto sales so far in 2013, and how the domestic automakers are bouncing back,” said Patrick Olsen, Cars.com’s editor-in-chief. “While the assembly point and domestic parts content of the F-150 didn’t change from 2012-13, vehicle sales are responsible for bumping the F-150 to the top spot.”

Cars.com echoes the Edmunds survey, listing four other Toyota models in its most-American study, followed by General Motors with three. Ironically, no Jeep vehicles, which are assembled in Detroit, Toledo, Ohio and Belvedere, Illinois made the list.

But in today’s high-tech world, there may be another way to measure which brand is most American. Toyota is flying the flag this holiday — Old Glory, that is — noting that it led all automakers in the number of patents it received from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in 2012, a total of 1,491. That, the maker declared, “demonstrate(s) Toyota’s commitment to ever better cars that achieve new environmental, safety and technological advancements.

While that may be a bit esoteric for most American motorists, today’s cars are becoming more and more high-tech, and Toyota’s patent lead could be a factor where it matters most to manufacturers: U.S. car sales.”