Detroit-based General Motors Corp. and Japan-based Toyota Motor Corp. are in a neck-and-neck competition when it comes to U.S. customer loyalty.

GM had the top loyalty for manufacturers during the 2007 model year, while Toyota was tops for brand loyalty, according to the 12th annual Polk Automotive Loyalty Awards.

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The results, released Tuesday night during the 2008 Automotive News World Congress, mirror the photo-finish global sales race between the two automotive giants.$HOMEG$

"GM and Toyota have proven that they know what it takes to keep customers coming back to their brands," said Stephen R. Polk, chairman, president and CEO of R.L. Polk & Co. "GM won a total of seven awards, including three vehicles that have won for the first time, which is a great testament to their overall manufacturer loyalty."

In all, 63% of GM customers returned to buy another GM brand product during the year, compared with an average of 55% for the industry.

Meanwhile, 57% of Toyota brand purchasers went back for seconds, compared with 45% for the industry.

GM and Toyota also had impressive performances in individual vehicle categories.

GM's Saturn Ion was the top-performing small car, while the Toyota Prius had the best repeat purchases among buyers of midsize cars.

Toyota's Lexus brand took top awards in the luxury car and midsize SUV segments.

GM's Chevrolet Silverado, meanwhile, was rated tops among full-sized pickups in 2007 -- unseating Ford Motor Co.'s F-Series, which had maintained the No. 1 place for the first 11 years of the study.