Ford Motor Co. expects to shatter its full-year hybrid vehicle sales record this month, led by a handful of new vehicle offerings that are challenging Toyota Motor Corp. for hybrid-vehicle supremacy.
The Dearborn automaker's hybrid share is up to 18 percent compared to 3 percent at this time last year, thanks to April hybrid sales totaling 8,481, a monthly record. Ford has sold 29,561 hybrids through April; it sold 35,496 in 2010 — its highest total to date. Ford in the past year has surpassed General Motors Co., Honda Motor Co., Hyundai Motor America and Kia Motors America in hybrid sales.
Ford still trails Toyota, which has a 58 percent share of the hybrid market, down from 71 percent at this time last year, according to Ford data.
The hybrid segment in the U.S. is growing at a significantly lower pace than the rest of the industry. Sales of hybrid vehicles are up 2.5 percent, compared to a 7 percent gain for the industry as a whole, said Erich Merkle, Ford's U.S. sales analyst. Hybrids make up about 4 percent of the industry.