THE STRUGGLING AUTO BUSINESS : Sales Recover From Gulf War Level : * Automobiles: The Big Three gained market share against Japanese firms. But analysts say it wasn’t because of the ‘Buy American’ movement.

Sales of North-American-made cars and trucks jumped 22.7% in early February, according to figures released Thursday. But the rise was measured against the depressed levels of a year ago when the nation was at war in the Persian Gulf.

The Big Three auto makers did manage to grab a larger chunk of the U.S. market from their Japanese rivals.

General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler Corp. together commanded 87.4% of the market in the week ending Feb. 10, up from 84.2% a year ago.

The figures do not include imports for the Big Three or Japanese car makers.

For U.S.-built autos, Japan’s share of the market shrank to 12.6% from 15.8%. Including imported vehicles, Japan has about a third of the U.S. market.

Overall, domestic car sales rose 14.8%, while light truck sales surged 42.4% to 84,343 vehicles.

Analysts attributed Detroit’s gains to increased sales to commercial fleet customers such as rental car firms rather than a substantial rise in “Buy American” products.

GM, the world’s biggest auto maker, boosted its share of the U.S. car market to 51.2% from 47.2%.

“I would think there’s got to be a little bit of a fleet bulge here and I would think it’s GM,” said James Bush, analyst with Ward’s Automotive Reports. Unlike GM, Chrysler and Ford, Japanese car makers sell few domestic vehicles to commercial fleet customers.

GM said sales of domestic cars and light trucks rose 23.5% in the 10-day period to 106,756 from 86,469 units a year earlier when sales were depressed by the Gulf War.

Ford said domestic vehicles jumped 21.3%, to 66,088 vehicles from 54,476.

Chrysler, which reports sales monthly, sold an estimated 34,300 cars and light trucks, up 37.8% from a year earlier, according to Ward’s Automotive Reports.

Meanwhile, Honda’s sales of North American cars climbed 24.4%, to 7,737 vehicles from 6,217.

But Honda was dealt a setback this week when the government said it will raise the tariffs on Honda Civics shipped from the auto maker’s Canadian assembly plant. The U.S. Customs Service also plans to impose about $17 million in back duties.

Scott Whitlock, executive vice president of Honda of America Manufacturing Co., accused the government of unfairly changing the rules so that the Japanese auto maker faced substantial import duties on its vehicles.

Honda makes engines and some other assemblies at its Anna, Ohio, plant for its Civic model that is manufactured in Alliston, Ontario. It is these models that have come under what Honda said is a new interpretation.

“We make the engines from scratch from American iron and from American aluminum,” Whitlock said.

Under a domestic content agreement between the United States and Canada, cars can be shipped duty-free between the two countries as long as 50% of the car is built in North America.

But a customs report claimed Honda makes less than 50% of the car in North America.

Whitlock told reporters that Honda estimates that the domestic content on the cars is 69%, including the U.S.-built engines, and that under custom’s calculations, it could be as little as 46%, activating the new duties.

Honda’s troubles come amid rising U.S.-Japan tensions.

Ford Motor Co. said Thursday that it will match any “Buy American” incentives--of up to $1,000--to the employees of Ford suppliers who buy or lease a new 1991 or 1992 Ford or Lincoln-Mercury.

Ford’s suppliers must offer their employees a cash incentive. Ford’s offer ends June 4.

Earlier this week, General Motors Corp. announced a similar plan for employees of its suppliers.