Collision

Keller ( Rude Awakening: The Rise, Fall and Struggle for Recovery of General Motors ), is an auto industry financial analyst who clearly knows the field and enjoys writing about it. Her newest book is a fast-paced account of the triumphs and failures of three of the world's largest car manufacturers, and an examination of the challenges they face. Keller provides readers with a brief history of GM, Toyota and Volkswagen and outlines how each company reached the top of its market. She then moves on to give a detailed and--in the case of GM--riveting, behind-the-scenes description of how and why the top figures at all three car companies were replaced during the past two years. GM and Volkswagen come in for particular criticism from Keller, centering mainly on the way each allowed its dominant (and profitable) market position to erode. And Keller makes it clear that while Toyota has avoided the spectacular money-losing years recently reported by GM and Volkswagen, the company faces a difficult future due in part to economic and social problems confronting all of Japan. While Keller is extremely critical of the previous leadership of GM, she concludes her enjoyable industry study with the prediction that the changes being implemented by the new GM regime make the company the most likely candidate to succeed as the strongest auto maker of the 21st century. (Nov.)