????在與眾多競爭對手的角逐中，通用汽車（General Motors）、福特（Ford）和克萊斯勒（Chrysler）正在迎頭趕上。它們開始重獲豐厚的利潤，并以品質出眾、操控出色的產品贏得了前所未有的贊譽。在一些競爭白熱化的細分市場上，它們也推出了有能力脫穎而出的車型：福特的中型車蒙迪歐（Fusion）熱銷大賣，經銷商忙得不可開交；雪佛蘭全尺寸羚羊（Impala）則獲得了權威刊物《消費者報告》（Consumer Reports）史無前例的高度評價。

????但是，仔細審視銷售數據和剛剛發(fā)布的財務報表就會發(fā)現，七月的最大贏家——請冷靜——還是豐田汽車公司（Toyota）。

????這種說法只會讓底特律車企的忠實擁護者嗤之以鼻。他們很正確地指出，今年美國本土車企的市場份額已經增加了，而豐田的份額則略有減少。同時他們也會很有理由地抱怨，由于日元貶值，豐田獲得了不公平的競爭優(yōu)勢，同時還用大手筆優(yōu)惠來大肆促銷。

????他們說的都沒錯。不過還是請看看上個月市場的實際情況：

—更多美國人購買了豐田車，而非雪佛蘭。棒球、熱狗、蘋果派和豐田，有誰不喜歡嗎？盡管豐田的經銷商數量要少得多，豐田在美國最熱門的車型——全尺寸皮卡沒什么競爭力，但這些都不妨礙它在美國的強勢地位。

—還是在七月，美國豐田汽車銷售公司（Toyota Motor Sales in the U.S.）的輕型車銷量超過了福特公司——這也是在它經銷商數量少得多、且皮卡銷量也遠不如對手的情況下。福特確實迎來了自己的豐收年，但就上個月來說，豐田的銷量超過了福特，成為美國第二大汽車公司。

—豐田似乎正在朝著今年全球產量達到1,000萬臺的目標大踏步前進。這將創(chuàng)造汽車廠商史上最為空前的產量紀錄。而通用汽車和大眾汽車（Volkswagen）將只能爭奪老二的位置。

????就像一位分析師歡呼的那樣：“日本武士已經王者歸來！”

????豐田宣布，將向2009至2010年間因突然意外加速事故而蒙受損失的豐田車主提供16億美元的賠償。盡管如此，它仍然迎來了七月這一波業(yè)績猛增。這個賠償方案將根據折舊水平，向賣掉或換購車輛的豐田車主提供125美元到10,000美元不等的賠償。但個人受傷及隨后展開的不合法意外致死訴訟將不在獲賠之列。首個對簿公堂的訴訟將在洛杉磯發(fā)起【本周三，豐田還因安全帶隱患主動召回了342,000輛塔克馬（Tocoma）皮卡】。

????General Motors (GM, Fortune 500), Ford (F, Fortune 500), and Chrysler have been gaining ground from competitors, posting solid profits, and winning historic praise for the quality and drivability of their products. They are producing standouts in some of the industry's most hotly contested segments. The mid-size Ford Fusion is selling as fast as dealers can load the delivery trucks, while the full-size Chevy Impala has won an unprecedentedly high rating from influential Consumer Reports.

????But a closer look at the sales numbers and financial results just published reveal that the big winner for the month of July was -- hold for it -- Toyota.

????That assertion will draw hoots and hollers from Detroit loyalists. They point out -- correctly -- that the local teams have added market share this year while Toyota(TM) has lost a smidgen. And they will complain -- also correctly -- that Toyota is getting an unfair advantage from the cheap yen and is boosting sales with unusually high incentives.

????All true. Yet take a look at what happened last month:

--More Americans bought cars and trucks with the Toyota emblem on the hood than with the Chevrolet bowtie. Baseball, hot dogs, apple pie ... and Toyota, anyone? That's despite the far lower number of Toyota dealers and Toyota being far less competitive in the industry's hottest segment: full-size pickup trucks.

--Also in July, Toyota Motor Sales in the U.S. sold more light vehicles than Ford Motor Co. -- again despite having far fewer dealers and selling far fewer trucks. Ford has been having a fabulous year, but last month, Toyota outsold it to become the second-largest car company in America.

--Toyota appears well on its way toward producing more than 10 million vehicles worldwide this year, which would represent an all-time record for any automaker. GM and Volkswagen will have to fight it out over second place.

????As one analyst gleefully exclaimed, "The samurais are back!"

????Toyota's July surge came despite the announcement that it would pay $1.6 billion to compensate vehicle owners who suffered financial losses as a result of sudden, unintended acceleration between 2009 and 2010. The settlement will compensate Toyota owners who sold or traded in their vehicles at a loss with $125 to $10,000 per car, depending on the level of depreciation. It does not, however, cover individual personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits that will have to be contested later. The first case to go before a jury is starting in Los Angeles. (Toyota also announced a voluntary recall on Wednesday of 342,000 Tacoma trucks over faulty seatbelts).