(FORTUNE Magazine) – AUTOS/COVER STORY 50 THE NEW GOLDEN AGE OF AUTOS Driven by the success of hot-selling vans and trucks, the Big Three are on a roll. But will Detroit grow complacent? Not this time, say U.S. car executives. Determined not to repeat past mistakes, they are focusing on better designs, smarter marketing, and beefed-up distribution. by Alex Taylor III

54 DETROIT GOES HIGH TECH A FORTUNE picture portfolio.

THE WORKPLACE 68 A MANAGER'S CAREER IN THE NEW ECONOMY Be prepared to specialize, to serve on teams, to market yourself, and to have work, if not a job. The most critical knowledge may turn out to be knowledge of yourself. by Walter Kiechel III

71 EIGHT KEYS TO CAREER SELF-RELIANCE

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY 75 THE INFORMATION AGE IN CHARTS Three years ago the Industrial Age gave way to the Information Age: Computers met communications, and the fireworks began. by Thomas A. Stewart

POLITICS & POLICY 83 FIXING CLINTON'S HEALTH CARE PLAN The key is a go-slow, market-based approach that ensures access to medical care -- but dumps reliance on heavy-handed regulation.

by Ann Reilly Dowd

HEALTH CARE 89 TECHNOLOGY TO WATCH Good news for parents: Aided by robots, scientists are incubating America's first chicken pox vaccine for a likely summer release.

by Alison L. Sprout

COMPETITION 93 AIR WARS OVER ASIA Fierce competition for the world's fastest-growing market is bringing bargain prices, better service, and lower -- or even nonexistent -- profits for the carriers. by Kenneth Labich

CORPORATE PERFORMANCE 101 GETTING OUT OF ROCKET SCIENCE Rockwell has done what every company talks about but few have achieved -- diversified beyond its government contracts. by Nancy J. Perry

102 BE READY TO PUSH YOUR LUCK When money got tight for mortgage banks in the 1980s, Countrywide Credit boomed; its founders' foresight in taking it public gave it an edge -- and has helped make it the nation's largest mortgage lender today. by Myron Magnet

105 COMPANIES TO WATCH

SELLING 109 CRIME STOPPERS MAKE A KILLING Fear of harm has Americans seeking all sorts of nonlethal weapons and deterrents. The manufacturers of these fear-busters are running to the bank. by Andrew E. Serwer

EUROPE 114 WHEN WILL GERMANY COME BACK? Its worst recession in four decades may be almost over. But without major restructuring, the competitiveness of Europe's strongest economy will continue to slide. by Paul Hofheinz

HALL OF FAME 118 THE NATIONAL BUSINESS HALL OF FAME This year's laureates, from Stanley Gault to W. Edwards Deming, all achieved their place in history through a talent for listening -- to advisers, to customers, to inner voices. by Peter Nulty

DEPARTMENTS 4 EDITOR'S DESK 8 INDEX 12 NEWS/TRENDS Japan yielding on U.S. imports, a new ball game for baseball, the Valdez five years later, trademarks as a tax trove, the universal teenager, and more.

25 FORTUNE FORECAST It may look like a boom now, but FORTUNE's economists estimate the economy will expand barely 3% this year. And that's good news. by Joseph Spiers

Economic Intelligence: High technology vs. jobs, the growing underground economy, and spooking exports.

33 PERSONAL INVESTING Looking for bargains among companies poised for global growth? You can't do much better than the best U.S. capital-goods makers. by Susan E. Kuhn

Also: Why you should own munis, tax software gets easy, Buffett knocks beta, and Portfolio Talk with Daniel Miller of Putnam Investments in Boston.

45 LETTERS TO FORTUNE

139 PRODUCTS TO WATCH

141 BOOKS & IDEAS A manager's guide that Jack Welch thinks is cool; plus critiquing capitalism, bashing the FDA, and selling service.

144 ENTREPRENEURS When Intuit started showing symptoms of big-company disease, Scott Cook reached out to Silicon Valley venture capitalists for help. by Brian Dumaine

COVER: Chrysler has become a world leader in product development. The 1994 Jeep Grand Cherokee, photographed by Louis Psihoyos (Matrix), is one of its stars.

ABOVE: A Chrysler New Yorker is tested for vibration noise in the corporation's $1 billion technology center in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Photo by David Barry.

FORTUNE (ISSN 0015-8259). Published biweekly, with three issues in October, by Time Inc. Principal office: Time & Life Building, Rockefeller Center, New York, NY 10020-1393. Reginald K. Brack Jr., Chairman; Don Logan, President; Joseph A. Ripp, Treasurer; Harry M. Johnston, Secretary. Subscriptions: U.S., possessions: one year (27 issues) $52.95; Canada: one year (27 issues) $53.73. Second-class postage paid at New York, NY, and at additional mailing offices. Authorized as second-class mail by the Post Office Dept., Ottawa, Canada, and for payment of postage in cash. Member, Audit Bureau of Circulations. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to FORTUNE, P.O. Box 30604, Tampa, Fla. 33630-0604. Customer inquiries: FORTUNE, P.O. Box 60001, Tampa, Fla. 33660-0001. Phone: 1-800-621-8000. ) (c) 1993. Time Inc. All rights reserved. FORTUNE is a registered mark of Time Inc. For subscription queries, call Customer Service at 1-800-621-8000. Time Inc. GST R122781974.