SCHAUMBURG, Ill. -

The effects of the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan on the auto industry are well documented, along with a plummet in Japanese automaker loyalty rankings.

Now, according to Experian Automotive, Toyota and Honda are rebounding, as each OEM saw strong comebacks in corporate loyalty in first quarter 2012

Toyota finished third in overall corporate loyalty in Experian Automotive’s latest industry market trends and loyalty report, released this week, as 45.7 percent of customers who returned to the market during first quarter 2012 purchased or leased another Toyota vehicle.

This is good news following a drop in Toyota’s corporate loyalty ranking to 41.8 percent in second quarter 2011, the first full quarter after the earthquake and tsunami.

Experian Automotive also reports that Honda’s corporate loyalty increased to 42.1 percent in first quarter 2012, after falling to 36.4 percent in third quarter 2011.

As for American OEMS, General Motors and Ford finished first and second in corporate loyalty among all automakers during the first quarter of 2012, at 48.4 percent and 47.4 percent respectively, the report showed. GM did, however, see the steepest decline in market share in the report, at 1.7 percent.

“While General Motors and Ford continue to battle for the top spot in corporate loyalty, Toyota and Honda were both able to significantly tighten the race in the first quarter of 2012,” said Jeffrey Anderson, Experian Automotive’s director of analytics and consulting.

“After the earthquake and tsunami, the Japanese OEMs suffered significant production disruptions, and many of their customers opted to go to another manufacturer when they returned to market. The drop in corporate loyalty appears to have been a temporary phenomenon, however, as their corporate loyalty is returning to pre-earthquake levels.”

Posting the biggest gains overall in unit sales — up more than 115,000 units — and market share in the Experian study was Chrysler. Its corporate loyalty ranking rose from 32.6 percent in first quarter 2011 to 36.2 percent in first quarter 2012.

“Chrysler continues to gain momentum, thanks in part to the strong performance of the Chrysler 200, which grew its sales by more than 22,000 units,” Anderson said. “The Jeep and Ram brands also continue to exhibit strong sales, as Chrysler now has a more balanced portfolio of passenger cars and light trucks to help hedge against fluctuations in fuel prices.”

Additional highlights from the Experian Automotive report from first quarter 2012 include news on the redesigned Volkswagen Passat, which ranked as the top-selling new vehicle entry at more than 24,000 units.

Coming in second was the Chevrolet Sonic, at more than 21,000 units.

The top three fastest-growing vehicles in unit registration, Experian noted, were the Ford Focus, Nissan Altima and Toyota Camry, with increases of more than 29,000, 26,000 and 25,000 respectively.

Ford had seven of the top 10 models for brand loyalty, led by the Fusion at 61.1 percent.