According to the new Ad-ology Auto Shoppers Forecast, 36 percent of U.S. consumers plan to purchase a new vehicle in the next 12 months. That's a 64 percent increase from May 2011.

The Ad-ology study shows momentum swinging back toward Japanese brands, giving marketers of those vehicles a considerable advantage.

Japanese automakers are starting to bounce back from supply shortages caused by the March 2011 tsunami. Toyota, Honda and Nissan all show increases in purchase consideration from one year ago. Toyota is now tops in brand consideration, with 48.3 percent of consumers citing it as a brand they will consider. That's a stunning increase of 19.6 percent from 12 months ago.

According to the Ad-ology study, Acura and Kia join the list of top 10 most considered brands for purchase this summer, while Chrysler and BMW fell out of the top ten.