In what may be another green shoot, today Ford reported better than expected earnings. Or, more accurately, a less than expected loss. Analysts had been expecting a loss of $0.50 per share excluding one time items, and Ford delivered a $0.21 loss on that basis.

Ford, which was the only American automaker to go without a government bailout, took advantage of the turmoil surrounding competitors GM and Chrysler to gain market share. Ford's market share increased for the first time since November 2007. With the increase in market share, Ford leapfrogged Toyota to climb into second place in American car sales, behind General Motors.

Analysts also believe that Ford may continue to increase its market share, with a much more fuel efficient version of the popular Explorer coming out in the 2011 model year.

You can take a look at an analyst's view of the numbers here.

Yesterday, Buy and Hold Plus blogged about Goldman Sachs and how they are the best in their class.

Ford appears to be the best in class when it comes to automakers. Remember, Ford didn't take government funding, and managed to get everything that GM and Chrysler did in bankruptcy without going into chapter 11. That indicates that it is a better run company.

Ford used to run ads with the tagline "have you driven a Ford lately?"