Maryann Keller

Maryann Keller is miffed at General Motors. She had agreed to give the company's public relations people an advance look at her new book on GM to check its accuracy. But almost as soon as she did, it seemed that everyone in Detroit had copies of "Rude Awakening"--long before its late September publication. GM's copying machines apparently were working overtime. "I couldn't believe it," complains Keller. "I sat next to one guy on an airplane before it came out, and he said, 'I enjoyed your book.'

The collision to which Maryann Keller refers in the title of this book is not, she says, the one that might take place between the three car companies of the subtitle. * It is their collision with the future, a future that Keller, an automobile industry financial analyst, believes will be quite different from, and more challenging than, the past.

The collision to which Maryann Keller refers in the title of this book is not, she says, the one that might take place between the three car companies of the subtitle. * It is their collision with the future, a future that Keller, an automobile industry financial analyst, believes will be quite different from, and more challenging than, the past.

Maryann Keller is miffed at General Motors. She had agreed to give the company's public relations people an advance look at her new book on GM to check its accuracy. But almost as soon as she did, it seemed that everyone in Detroit had copies of "Rude Awakening"--long before its late September publication. GM's copying machines apparently were working overtime. "I couldn't believe it," complains Keller. "I sat next to one guy on an airplane before it came out, and he said, 'I enjoyed your book.'

Trees and parks were suggested by several. L.A. may be big on planting trees, but as soon as they grow big enough to be effective they are cut down to make way for a wider street or a mini-mall. ANN METZNER Torrance

Ford Motor Co. reported a 15% increase in first-quarter earnings as the nation's No. 2 auto maker benefited from strong truck sales, continued cost-cutting and improved performance in Europe. The record earnings--the firm's eighth consecutive increase in quarterly profit--came despite sharply higher marketing costs. Increased rebates, an estimated average of about $1,100 per vehicle, were offset by $400 million in cost reductions. Overall, Ford posted first-quarter operating profit of $1.

China to Sign Deals with Big Three Auto Makers: A Chinese trade delegation will sign multimillion-dollar deals with Detroit's Big Three auto makers to buy cars and trucks, the companies said. Officials of Chrysler Corp., Ford Motor Co. and General Motors Corp. declined to disclose details, saying the announcement is China's to make. The purchases will help China retain most-favored-nation trading status, despite its human rights policies, said GM spokesman John Pekarek.

General Motors Corp., the world's largest automaker, reported a $425-million third-quarter profit Wednesday as the company earned about 19 times as much from its finance arm as from selling cars and trucks. Net income amounted to 79 cents a share. That contrasts with a net loss of $804 million, or $1.42 a share, a year earlier, when the company wrote down its investment in Fiat's auto unit. Sales rose 5.4% to $45.9 billion.

General Motors Corp. said Tuesday that it would extend a popular discount program that allowed consumers to buy vehicles at the employee rate until Aug. 1. A few hours later Ford Motor Co. said it would match the promotion. The GM discount program offers most of its 2005 model cars and trucks at the same price that GM employees pay and helped spark a 47% jump in the company's U.S. vehicle sales volume in June to its highest level since 1986.

Trees and parks were suggested by several. L.A. may be big on planting trees, but as soon as they grow big enough to be effective they are cut down to make way for a wider street or a mini-mall. ANN METZNER Torrance

The most significant personnel changes at General Motors Corp. since outside directors deposed top managers and installed Jack Smith as president in 1992 are expected today when GM's board meets in New York. G. Richard Wagoner Jr., the 41-year-old chief financial officer and head of worldwide purchasing, is likely to be elevated to the No. 2 job in the world's largest industrial corporation.

Extending its upward trajectory in the struggling auto business, Chrysler Corp. said Tuesday that it earned $202 million in the third quarter, well above the expectations of Wall Street. The results point to Chrysler as the only one of the U.S. Big Three to manage a profit in the third quarter. General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co. are expected to report losses next week. Despite the anemic condition of the U.S.