Ford Achieves All-Time High Hybrid Share And Toyota Slides, As Fusion Hybrid Closes In On Another Sales Record

DEARBORN, Mich., Jan. 30, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- 

• Ford hybrid market share jumped nearly 9 percentage points from December 2011 to December 2012; Toyota's share of the hybrid vehicle segment dropped 8 points
• Ford Fusion Hybrid achieved all-time monthly sales record in December 2012 with 3,244 sales; Ford hybrids expected to deliver best January hybrid sales month ever with a projected 5,500 units sold
• More stylish and technology-laden Fusion Hybrid attracting younger buyers compared to the outgoing model and Toyota Camry Hybrid
• Nearly 70 percent of Fusion Hybrid sales are conquest sales, compared to 53 percent for Camry Hybrid

The 2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid is off to a fast start after achieving an all-time sales record in December 2012, helping Ford to record hybrid sales and market share, as Toyota lost nearly 8 points of share in the segment.

Ford's launch of the new C-MAX hybrids and Fusion Hybrid this past fall led the company to deliver record-setting hybrid sales in December, resulting in a 9 percent market share gain to 16 percent. In the same period Toyota's share of the hybrid vehicle segment fell 8 points, from 68 percent to 60 percent.

Ford sold more hybrids in the fourth quarter of 2012 than in any other three-month period in the company's entire history with 19,554 units sold, besting its own previous hybrid vehicle sales record by more than 193 percent.

An all-time record of 3,244 Fusion Hybrids were sold in December, compared to the previous mark of 3,010 in August 2010. The car is expected to achieve record January sales when results are announced Feb. 4. Nearly 70 percent of new Fusion Hybrid owners are new to the Ford brand, while Toyota's conquest rate for its Camry Hybrid is only 53 percent.

"We're bringing new hybrid buyers into the market, many of whom wouldn't be considered traditional hybrid buyers," said Amy Marentic, marketing manager, Global Small and Medium Cars. "There's a sense hybrid buyers represent a pragmatic or green ethic. Fusion Hybrid is scoring with these audiences, but the car also puts some excitement into the segment through design; it shows hybrids can have beautiful and sophisticated styling. This, in turn, means different buyers."

Not only are most buyers new to the Ford brand, early data suggest Fusion Hybrid is appealing to younger buyers outside the traditional hybrid vehicle demographic.

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