DETROIT (

TheStreet

) -- The spring of 2011 has brought a resurgence for the Detroit Three, who all reported profitable first quarters as well as sales gains.

Early Thursday,

GM

(GM)

reported its fifth consecutive quarterly profit

: $3.2 billion. Revenue for the quarter came in at $36.2 billion, ahead of analysts' estimates of $35.6 billion.

It is a far cry from two years ago, when

Chrysler

was sitting in bankruptcy court and GM was about to file.

Ford

(F)

, meanwhile, was on a path to its first profitable year since 2005.

Financial restructuring, forced by Barack Obama at two companies and Alan Mulally at one, has been good to the U.S. auto industry, and a rebounding economy has enabled the Detroit Three to benefit quickly.

But as anyone in the auto industry will tell you, in the end, you cannot achieve success if you do not have strong products.

Read on for five vehicles, produced by the Detroit Three, that broke out in April with big sales gains. In fact, four of these hot vehicles were newly introduced during the past 12 months.

Ford Fiesta

In April, Ford sold 9,147 Fiestas, up from zero in the same month a year earlier. Production of the 2011 subcompact Ford Fiesta began in May 2010.

On the Ford sales conference call, Ken Czubay, vice president for U.S. marketing, sales and service, said the Fiesta and the compact Focus represented 15% of Ford's total sales, almost six points higher than a year earlier, as consumers seek out smaller cars.

"Sales of Fiesta and Focus are exceeding our plan," Czubay said. "Dealers are telling us they were selling them off the convoy trucks." He promised "greater availability in May" and noted that Fiesta has a higher average transaction price than any of its immediate competitors.

Chevy Cruze

The Chevrolet Cruze is the poster child for the U.S. auto industry's ability to compete in the small car segment. On a conference call with analysts Thursday, GM reported that it has sold up to 50,000 Chevrolet Cruze units in the first quarter alone.

In April, the Cruze sold 25,160 units, up from zero in the same month a year earlier, making it the top selling Detroit vehicle that is not a pickup truck. The Cruze ranked six among all vehicles in April sales, while the Chevrolet Malibu ranked seventh.

Alan Batey, vice president, Chevrolet Sales and Service, said GM's strategy is to have the "two vehicles working together in tandem," so that customers can make a choice in the showroom. Average transaction price for the Cruze is around $19,000, he said, while average transaction price for the Malibu is about $21,000. Retail sales for the Cruze in April totaled 18,470.

"U.S. consumers have been purchasing smaller, more efficient vehicles," said Don Johnson, vice president of U.S. sales operations, on GM's sales conference call. "For the first time, we are

prepared for this shift," which began to occur in March, he said.

Chrysler 200

The Chrysler 200 sold 8,274 units in April, up from zero in the same month a year earlier.

This is the car that was featured in the

much-praised Chrysler Super Bowl ad. Unfortunately, after the ad ran, Chrysler did not immediately have enough Chrysler 200s to meet the demand at its dealerships.

In an interview with

TheStreet

, Chrysler CEO Olivier Francois said the 200 is a big deal for Chrysler because midsize sedans represent a major segment in the U.S. auto industry, with about two million sales annually. The 200 competes with the Malibu, as well as the Ford Fusion,

Toyota

(TM)

Camry and

Honda

(HMC)

Accord.

The Fusion, with 21,189 sales in April, was the 13th bestselling car in the U.S.; the other three all ranked even higher.

Buick Regal

The Buick Regal is leading the resurgence of Buick. April Regal sales totaled 4,525 units, up from zero in the same month a year earlier.

"Regal sales continued to lead the brand in the US," and are "attracting non-GM buyers to the brand," said Don Johnson on the GM sales call.

Buick sales for the month rose 45.6% to 18,413, marking the 19th straight month of sales gains for the brand.

Ford Explorer

The Ford Explorer SUV is a symbol of the past and also a symbol of the future.

Once a gas guzzler, the Explorer now gets 25 miles per gallon, and it will soon be available with an EcoBoost engine.

Explorer sold 12,593 units in April, up 137% from a year earlier. Czubay said Explorer is "the fastest-turning vehicle in the Ford showroom." Responding to reporters' questions about whether Ford would make more in order to more readily meet demand, Czubay said no. "We're fully ramped up," he said. "Monthly production for that product is where it is -it's just that people are buying them so quickly."

The Explorer accounts for two thirds of the production at Ford's Chicago plant.

-- Written by Ted Reed in Charlotte, N.C.

>To contact the writer of this article, click here:

Ted Reed