More Americans believe that domestic cars are superior to their Asian and German counterparts, a survey conducted by the Associated Press and GfK Roper Public Affairs & Media showed.

Thirty-eight percent of more than a thousand respondents said they think American cars are the best-made vehicles in the world. About one-third chose Asian-made cars, while 15 percent believed German automakers offer top quality vehicles, according to the survey.

Businessweek’s “The Auto Beat” blog said that the result could boost sales of American car makers Ford, General Motors and Chrysler. “All three can capitalize on this newfound respect if they continue to build better models and if, a big if in GM’s case, they can market the cars well,” it said.

The Kelly Blue Book reported that the new figures are “pronounced variations” from earlier polls made well before Toyota‘s recall issues. In 2006, for instance, the AP-AOL poll showed that 46 percent of Americans felt Asian countries had the best in quality with just 29 percent and 17 percent for U.S. and German cars, respectively.