(FORTUNE Magazine) – America, you're not such hot stuff anymore. That's the message from this year's list of the world's 50 most admired companies, the result of a poll of 10,000 executives, directors, and analysts in 25 countries. Yes, the ten most admired companies in the world are still based in the U.S. But in part because there have been fewer corporate scandals overseas, foreign companies made huge jumps. Toyota, BMW, and Sony hit Nos. 11, 12, and 13, respectively, on the global list, making them the three most admired companies outside the U.S. (No. 1 is Wal-Mart; see www.fortune.com/globaladmired for the full list.) Last year the top foreign company, Nokia, made it only to No. 24.

No sector is so clearly dominated by non-U.S. companies as cars. Explains Toshiaki Tagushi, CEO and president of Toyota Motor North America: "We rate high in terms of quality, durability, and quickness." When it comes to winning the world's admiration, a steady vision counts too. "One key factor for success is having a strategy that gives a clear orientation about a company's goals and the way to achieve them," says Helmut Panke, the chairman of BMW. "Don't strive to be everybody's darling." --Paola Hjelt

Top ten outside the U.S.

1 Toyota Motor Japan 2 BMW Germany 3 Sony Japan 4 Nokia Finland 5 Nestle Switzerland 6 Singapore Airlines Singapore 7 L'Oreal France 8 Honda Motor Japan 9 BP Britain 10 Royal Dutch/Shell Group Netherlands/Britain