American Auto has been in development since August 2013, when creator Justin Spitzer, fresh off the success of The Office, wanted to produce a workplace comedy set in the upper-management world.

Spitzer originally sold the pitch to NBC as a put-pilot, but it did not move forward, so he went to work on Superstore instead before eventually returning to redevelop the American Auto script after stepping down as Superstore showrunner in April 2019.

NBC gave American Auto a pilot order on January 23, 2020, with the pilot directed by Jeffrey Blitz and written by Spitzer, before the full series was ordered on January 12, 2021.

Harriet Dyer was the first cast member reported to join the show in February 2020 as Sadie, followed shortly after by Ana Gasteyer as Katherine Hastings.

X Mayo joined the cast as Dori in March 2020, while Tye White, Michael Benjamin Washington, Humphrey Ker, and Jon Barinholtz all joined in July 2020 as Jack, Cyrus, Elliot, and Wesley respectively.

Season 2 featured several guest appearances by real-life celebrities playing themselves, including Seth Meyers, Jim Cramer, Ryan Reynolds, and Andy Richter.

On Rotten Tomatoes, the series held a 100% approval rating based on 11 critic reviews, with a consensus praising its 'hilarious sitcom with a solid foundation.'

The show was nominated for Best Broadcast Network Series, Comedy, and Albertina Rizzo received a nomination for Best Writing in a Broadcast Network or Cable Series, Comedy for the episode 'Commercial' at the 2022 Hollywood Critics Association TV Awards.