Ford Sales Boosted by Fuel-Efficent Cars

DEARBORN, Mich. (TheStreet) -- Ford(F Quote) sold significantly more U.S. cars and crossover vehicles in the month of November -- and is decidedly upbeat about the consumer demand for fuel-efficient vehicles that is driving its results.

Ford sold 14% more cars in November compared to the same month last year, and 26% more crossovers.

One of the main drivers of growth for Ford has been the sales of its hybrid vehicles -- up 73% from a year ago.

A closer look at individual Ford brands reveals that total sales of Ford, Lincoln and Mercury were 118,536, more or less the same as the company's year-ago sales. It was the others brands that showed more impressive gains. The Fusion, Motor Trend's Car of the Year, was up a record 54%, while the all-new Taurus sales were up 54%. Meanwhile, the four and five-door Fiesta is making its debut Wednesday at the LA International Auto Show.

Ford captured a larger market share in November than a year ago and is getting ready to ramp up its vehicle production in North America by more than a half for the first quarter of 2010.

Ford's stock has risen today -- by 1.2% to $9.00 -- as have those of its automaker peers.

Toyota(TM Quote) is up 3.4% at $81.20, while Honda(HMC Quote) stock has risen 4.5% to $32.40. Daimler(DAI Quote) is up 4.2% at $53.10. Rising even further is Tata Motors(TTM Quote), up a breathtaking 10.3% at $15.80.

-- Reported by Andrea Tse in New York

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