Ford earned $1.4 billion in the first quarter -- a bit ahead of analyst expectations, but down from a year earlier. North American sales powered the profit, while Europe's crisis-wracked economy held every automaker back on the Continent.
Hyundai and its stablemate Kia have been taking U.S. auto market share gradually for more than two decades. Lately, though, those chunks have gotten bigger. The South Korean car makers' sales are expected to surge almost 25% in September compared to the same month year ago.
It's still hard to diagnose how the overall economy will fare in 2011. But the signs for at least one area all seem to be pointing up: car sales. Analysts predict the number of vehicles sold next year will rise 10% to 23% above that of 2010.