Ford Hybrids Soared in First 9 Months, Helped Company Weather Sales Drought
By John O'Dell October 14, 2009But Sales Swollen by Cash for Clunkers Program Have Dropped Since it Ended
Ford Motor Co. says that despite the overall weak new-car market, sales of its gas-electric hybrid models for the first nine months of the year jumped 73% from a year earlier.
The automaker cited this year's introduction of the Ford Fusion (left) and Mercury Milan hybrid sedans as well as increased demand from the fedral government for fuel-efficient hybrids for its various fleets.
The company didn't mention the big bump the recent federal Cash for Clunkers program gave to Ford's newest hybrids. Dealers sold 2,353 Fusion hybrids in August, the last month of the program, but only managed to move 1,116 in September.
Ford, the only of the three major U.S. carmakers not to declare bankruptcy this year, sold about 26,000 hybrid vehicles through September, the company said in a statement today. The U.S. government has acquired about 3,000 hybrid vehicles from Ford so far this year, while the Fusion hybrid has attracted many non-Ford owners to the brand, the company said.
The Fusion and Milan (right) hybrids debuted in March with better EPA fuel economy ratings - 41 mpg city, 36 mpg highway - than the Toyota Camry hybrid. Ford advertises them as the most fuel-efficient midsize sedans in the U.S.
Ford's hybrids helped it escape what the company estimates has been a 14% year-over-year drop in hybrid sales across the industry. Ford said earlier this month that its third-quarter hybrid sales were triple year-earlier totals and helped boost overall sales by 5%.
Still, whether such a jump continues into the fourth quarter remains in question as Ford's hybrid sales have dropped since the Cash for Clunkers program was discontinued. Ford sold 2,138 hybrid vehicles in September, down 54% from 4,695 in August.
Danny King, Contributor
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But everything fuel efficient was drastically down in Sep vs Oct. C4C was an artificial bump in sales, and it seems to be throwing off everybody's predictions.
On the bright side, you know that 4.5M vehicle recall? C4C probably ate into that too.
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