Is this Alan Mulally's doing? He'll probably be widely credited with saving Ford as the economy and the auto business has gone through more turmoil than ever before, and the changes he put into place are allowing Ford to emerge quite strong. Not only did China sales grow briskly in the first quarter for the automaker, but it is boosting its U.S. production for the third quarter of this year 16%. That's the first quarterly production boost in the U.S. in two years. How is Ford being so darn successful?

It's playing in a field with fewer players (for now), and apparently taking market share with its well-planned auto lineup. In the second quarter, Ford surpassed GM as the largest auto supplier in the U.S., even though it did not overtake the then-GM in sales. From all indications, Ford -- even with billions in losses in the last 18 months -- is benefiting from the immense auto market shifts recently. Ford has lifted itself from the March 2009 share price of under $1.00 to today's open of $5.75, so this automaker is evidently on the rebound -- from most angles.