Toyota's Doubled-Edged Triumph

By Brian Bremner

You'd think top executives at Toyota (TM

) would be giving each other high-fives these days. Its biggest global competitors -- General Motors (GM

), Ford (F

), and DaimlerChrysler (DCX

) -- are in grim shape, locked in tough labor talks and burdened by massive pension obligations. Meanwhile, Toyota and other Japanese automakers continue to gain market share in the U.S.

//

if (!window.BW_adsys) {

document.write('<\/scr' + 'ipt>');

}

// ]]>

//

if (!window.BW_sitezone) {

BW_sitezone = 'top_news/general';

}

if (window.BW_adsys) {

document.write(BW_adsys('middle', '/common_adcode/db_general_9.htm'));

}

// ]]>

In August, Toyota overtook DaimlerChrysler as the No. 3 in terms of sales. The Japanese carmaker boasts a waterfront of great models, from the fabled Camry sedan to the Lexus LX 470, an SUV. It has a promising Gen Y compact car called the Scion that's creating a lot of talk in the industry, an