America's trade war has left General Motors and Ford Motor sparring over favorable tariffs on imports, batteries and more. The century-old clash between Detroit's auto giants has a new battleground: America's trade war with the rest of the world.

The two largest U.S. automakers have tried to present a united front as they grapple with a chaotic Trump administration trade policy that is costing automakers billions and scrambling the global supply chain. Behind the scenes, the crosstown rivals are clashing as each company jockeys for tailored tariffs and policies while claiming to be the most American automaker.

They are pleading their cases to policymakers, with each trying to stake a claim as being most fundamental to the U.S. economy, as talks intensify around overhauling a North American trade deal crucial to each's business model.