Despite disruptions from Hurricane Irene, the remnants of Hurricane Katia and Tropical Storm Lee and signs of a slowing economy, Americans bought more cars in August, with General Motors, the Ford Motor Company and Chrysler all posting impressive gains compared to August 2010. Almost all of the 20 largest automakers have sales gains for the year to date. The only exceptions are Honda and Toyota, whose dealers have struggled to keep their lots stocked sufficiently, since the earthquake and tsunami struck Japan early this year. The auto industry continues to make big strides in recovery from the depths of the financial crisis. Sales of autos are on track to be 12.6 million units-well ahead of last year, when 11.6 million vehicles were sold nationally.