Carmakers speed up after setbacks …

Article Excerpt

Car sales in the U.S. continue to rise in the wake of the recession. Overseas sales are also improving, because more consumers in developing countries can now afford cars. However, the auto industry remains highly cyclical and intensely competitive. As well, continued high unemployment in the U.S. and economic uncertainty in Europe could weaken car sales. Still, the long-term outlook for these three carmakers remains bright. Toyota and Honda are recovering from natural disasters in Japan and Thailand, while Ford is enjoying the benefits of a major restructuring. Not all three are buys right now, but we feel they have stronger prospects than General Motors. TOYOTA MOTOR CO. ADRs $84 (New York symbol TM; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; ADRs outstanding: 1.7 billion; Market cap: $142.8 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.7; Dividend yield: 1.5%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.toyota.com) is Japan’s largest automobile maker and the world’s second-biggest after General Motors. Toyota also makes industrial equipment, such as forklifts and prefabricated…