P.M. BRIEFING : GM Out-Paces Ford in Europe

For the first time, General Motors Corp. outsold Ford Motor Co. in 1990 in Europe.

GM said it sold 1.56 million cars in Europe last year; Ford said it sold 1.51 million.

“This is not good news for Ford,” said Karl Ludvigsen, an auto analyst in London. Ford has been selling cars in Europe since 1903, the same year Henry Ford incorporated his car making company in Michigan.

Part of Ford’s problems stemmed from a bumpy launch of its new Escort car in Europe, caused primarily by a seven-week strike at Ford of Europe’s Halewood assembly plant in England.

“The key for Ford will be if they can get a little steam behind this Escort launch,” Ludvigsen said.

According to Automotive Industry Data, a London statistical service, Volkswagen held the largest share of the European car market with 15.4% in 1990.

The West German auto maker was followed by Fiat of Italy with 14.2%, Peugeot of France with 12.9%, GM with 11.8% and Ford with 11.6%.