that taxpayers have been

to shuffle billions of dollars into Chrysler and

(

) when there are profitable, innovative and successful car companies out there ones that don t simply make better investments but also better cars.

With a market capitalization of $50 billion dollars, roughly 50 times the size of GM, I believe the best car maker and car stock is undoubtedly

(

), whose Accord was the top-selling U.S. vehicle in April.

Before the flag wavers start griping about the importance of buying American, consider that Honda was the first Japanese firm to build cars in the U.S. starting 50 years ago. The impact has been overwhelmingly positive: According to a

from the Center for Automotive Research, more than 367,000 private sector jobs and $17 billion in annual wages are generated thanks to Honda s U.S. operations.

Nobody makes a fuss about buying televisions made in Korea or coats sewn in

. And if you lament the decline of the big three domestic auto makers, remember that, like

, it's American consumers who ve made Honda a success in America. The automotive space is extremely competitive. Honda s success is based on the company s brand, high-quality production and diversity of products, precisely why there s a good chance one of them is sitting in your driveway right now. Of course, Honda s business is bigger than cars. The company also makes

,

,

and even

.

That s why the president s recent

that, If you are considering buying a car, I hope it will be an American car, misses the wholly-beneficial reality of free trade. Honda s success in selling cars in America has enriched the Honda Corporation but also the consumers who ve bought them, employees who ve made them and shareholders who ve invested in them. Unlike a

or subsidy, trade is not a zero-sum game.

Last year, the company broadcast an inspiring, first-of-a-kind three minute advertisement on British television that showed a skydiving team forming the letters H-O-N-D-A live as they plummeted over Spain.

It s a little bewildering forced General Motors (GM)

Honda (HMC)

study

Mexico Wal-Mart motorcycles engines robots airplanes

A Great Ride

Honda Motor Company (NYSE: HMC) 5 years

suggestion bailout

Just months later, Chrysler was reduced to taking out stark, black, full-page ads in major newspapers thanking America for its investment (read: involuntary bailout) in the company, which, as we

last week, is essentially already gone.

See the video here .

pointed out

An innovative and outstanding company, Honda s soaring success should be commended. And for a long-term investor looking a few years out, I consider the stock an unequivocal buy.

Chrysler s Thank You ads published in major U.S. papers in late 2008.