FLASHY CARS are on the way out, says G.M. Styling Veep Harley Earl. G.M. surveys found that 50% of motorists want less chrome (v. only 15% in past), "so now we are deleting chrome as fast as we can." Almost all future cars being shown by G.M. are in one color.

NEW THUNDERBIRD for four is selling so fast that Ford will double production this month to 200 a day. Order backlog runs through June; buyers in some areas are paying $500 under the table for immediate delivery.

VETERANS' HOUSING will get boost as a result of presidential order supplementing housing bill. G.I.s will no longer have to make 2% down payment on VA mortgages, will have to pay only closing costs in cash. Other orders released $325 million from Fanny Mae funds to stimulate home building, reduced cash down payment for middle-priced FHA houses.

FIRST U.S. JET TRANSPORTS will start domestic flights by Christmas, six months earlier than expected, when American Airlines will put Boeing 707s on New York-Los Angeles run (trip time: less than five hours).

BROKERS' FEES for transactions on New York Stock Exchange will go up 13% on May 1, raising total fee increase since 1947 to 60%.

"ENGINE CHARLIE" WILSON, ex-president of General Motors, will take deep plunge into shipping business because he believes another sea boom is coming. For several million dollars, Oswego Shipping Corp. (75% owned by Wilson and two friends) bought out Marine Transport Lines, which owns or operates 60 ships, controls one of world's biggest fleets of specialized vessels.

TOURISTS IN FRANCE will get price discounts of about 15% this year. Cut applies to food, wines, souvenirs, most goods sold in shops, because France will eliminate sales taxes for shopkeepers who sell to foreigners who pay in dollars or other hard moneys.

DAIMLER-BENZ, maker of Mercedes autos, has bought controlling interest in Germany's Auto-Union, manufacturer of DKW cars, to form world's fourth biggest auto company, largest outside U.S. Daimler and Union had combined 1957 sales of about $525 million v. $500 million for Volkswagen, which has been fourth in industry.

NEW FILTER will be offered by American Tobacco Co. on one of its cigarettes (Hit Parade, Tareyton, Pall Mall, Lucky Strike). Industry rumor: filter will be double, with one part charcoal.

DIAMOND MARKET is slumping to lowest point in 3 1/2 years. First-quarter sales by De Beers, which controls world supply, totaled only $42.8 million v. $49.7 million in same 1957 period. Biggest drop-off came in automakers' demand for industrial stones, but gem demand also fell.

AIRLINE INCOME tumbled 51.4% in 1957. Despite record gross of $1.5 billion, net operating revenues totaled only $53.8 million v. $110.9 million in 1956, with American Airlines (down from $37 million to $17 million) and Eastern Air Lines (down from $28 million to $11 million) taking biggest dollar slumps.

INCOME-TAX REFUNDS will go to an estimated 35 million of the 60 million U.S. payers this year. Treasury plans to kick back about $3.6 billion in overpayments. Average refund: about $100.

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