Maryann N. Keller, in IEEE Spectrum (Oct. 1987), 345 East 47th St., New York, N.Y. 10017.
Predicting the future of the automobile industry, argues Keller, a vice- president of Furman Selz Mager Dietz & Birney, New York-based stock- brokers, is a risky business. Few auto analysts, for example, foresaw the sweeping changes that resulted from the energy crises of 1973 and 1979. Many current trends (such as increasing pickup truck sales) may suddenly end if gasoline prices rise sharply. Nonetheless,...