Advertising has always been the dream work of industry, and nowhere is this more evident than in the world of auto advertising.

Put on probation for the article, Neil was instructed to have his articles reviewed by an editor as well as the director of classified auto advertising.

He said that the Times Company's telecommunications, movie and classified auto advertising "continue to drag."

The VW ads, particularly for the prosaic Beetle, turned almost every truism of auto advertising upside down.

By some estimates, total auto advertising is expected to increase by about 8 percent this year.

But sharp increases in auto advertising this year have made it difficult for some stations to maintain this convention, which led G.M. to its new policy.

Everybody in the business thought the Chevrolet account with its big budget was the plum of all auto advertising.

They tell us they don't like advertising," he added, "and of all advertising, auto advertising is No. 1 least liked.

But analysts said it would take more than a rebound in auto advertising to rejuvenate the industry.

And some fundamentals of the business are cratering, with auto advertising off 23 percent in January in magazines, according to Advertising Age.