It could be my opinion, but I'd imagine that if a group of people were asked to name their favorite American car, it would be something 1) old and 2) overtly styled and 3) powered by a v8 engine and 4) rear wheel drive
On the sporty end people would choose a Corvette or Mustang. On the normal car end it would be a 50's Chevy or Cadillac or 60's Lincoln.
By all non-rose-colored-glasses accounts every car on that list is less safe, less efficient and less reliable than any modern car. However they are all still remembered and adored 50 years later because they have style.
Current American cars are just cheaper (in every sense of the word) copies of cars from elsewhere in the world. Sometimes they're even built on platforms cast off from other car manufacturers : Ford Taurus == previous generation Volvo S80, Chrysler 300 == Two generations old Mercedes E-Class, Chevy Malibu == Previous generation Opel Vectra.
Instead of trying to compete with the Honda Accords and Lexus RX350's of the world, I'd like to see a return to an American style car.
Take the styling, chrome and all, from a 50's era American sedan body, galvanize it so they don't rust out like they used to, then just update the safety features (design in some crumple zones in the hood and fenders, add airbags and seat belts) and modern brakes (discs instead of drums) and drivetrain. Keep it rear wheel drive so that the hood is low and engine bay less cluttered and thus easier to work on.
Even a modern interpretation of a classic design is better (Google 'Ford Forty-Nine Concept' for a good example) than the current state of American non-design.
As things are - meaningless brands with mostly uninteresting products, solely appealing to nationalism in their advertising to sell cars - the current C11 bankruptcy is too kind an option.
