Ford may pass Honda as second best hybrid seller in U.S.
2009 Ford Escape Hybrid - Click above for high-res image gallery
There's no doubt about which automaker leads the hybrid vehicle race. Toyota – and particularly the Japanese automaker's Prius hybrid – outsells all other manufacturers combined. In total, Automotive News calculates that Toyota sold 144,351 hybrid vehicles in the first nine months of 2009, which actually represents a 28-percent drop from the previous year.
So far this year, Honda has come in second with its new Insight, but that position is currently in jeopardy. The 26,016 hybrid vehicles sold by Ford in the first nine months of the year represents an impressive 73-percent gain from last year. Honda has sold 29,958 hybrids so far in '09, representing a much smaller eight-percent increase. In both July and September, Ford actually sold more hybrids than Honda.
In other words, Ford, led by its Escape Hybrid and new-for-2010 Fusion Hybrid, is gaining on Honda at a very rapid pace. Moving on down the line, General Motors slots in at number four with 12,556 total hybrid so far this year and Nissan's 7,713 units make it the number five hybrid seller in the U.S.
[Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req'd]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
gadvrules9000 1:38PM (10/16/2009)
inb4MattandBrian...
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Randy 2:47AM (10/17/2009)
you should do that more often. I noticed if their not first, they don't post! Not here anyway! ;)
John 8:33AM (10/17/2009)
Matt and Brian who?
gadvrules9000 12:49PM (10/17/2009)
Hahhaha, yeah I should. They both annoy me as hell.
xtasi 1:42PM (10/16/2009)
This is very impressive for Ford. It only has 2 hybrids, and to the general populace... when they think of fuel savings, they think of Honda.
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edwardduran9 1:42PM (10/16/2009)
Honda is a little slow of the big three Japanese car brands. They need to spend on R&D and increase their product lineup. Ford is just recovering market share but kudos to their new Ford Fusion Hybrid.
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Bob-omb 1:47PM (10/16/2009)
Maybe if Ford becomes a big name in hybrids, some of the flag-waving deadbeats on this blog will stop with the "HYBRIDS R DUMM" crap.
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El Sunbird 1:48PM (10/16/2009)
Hey Matt and Brian...
...you mad?
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some1 9:18PM (10/16/2009)
roflz
John 8:38AM (10/17/2009)
Matt and Brian who?
retsel 1:48PM (10/16/2009)
ford needs to depreciate the hybrid fusion from the regular fusion with some more external prompts...
How about a hatch back... (dont kill me guys)
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KT 3:20PM (10/16/2009)
differentiate??
pax copia 1:53PM (10/16/2009)
Kind of sad since the original Honda Insight was in fact the first hybrid sold in North America and got over 70 mpg.
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Thunderbuck 2:10PM (10/16/2009)
Honda absolutely deserves credit as the first manufacturer to put a hybrid into the North American market (was the Prius on sale first as a JDM? Can't remember). The original Insight was actually a very important car, in its way, and it's a crying shame Honda never had the nerve to follow it up properly.
Honda's hybrid strategy still seems a little fuzzy. They had a fantastic drivetrain with the Accord Hybrid, and even had an interesting strategy of positioning it as a "performance" hybrid. Trouble was, they limited the drivetrain to the sedan (for a green "performance" car? Really?), and did NOTHING to visually distinguish it from the rest of the line, when it's very clear that hybrid buyers want to advertise their choice to the world. Think about it: wouldn't an Accord Hybrid coupe with distinct bodywork have been cool? An Odyssey Hybrid would have been unique in the marketplace.
Now, they've introduced a "new" Insight which seems to rip off the Prius more than anything else. The trouble here is that the Insight doesn't drive as well as the Prius, does not have the ability to run on straight electric, and just comes across as a half-hearted attempt.
Ford, in the meantime, has put in the grunt work to develop and build "proper" hybrids. Though the original Escape Hybrid actually used some Toyota technology under license, apparently the current Escape and Fusion Hybrids use straight Ford engineering. They're good products and are being rewarded as such in the marketplace.
Honda's dropped the ball in this market, even if they were the first ones on the field.
nrb 3:59PM (10/16/2009)
Thunderbuck, I agree with most of what you say, but feel the need to point out a couple of things.
"They had a fantastic drivetrain with the Accord Hybrid"
This was one of Honda's problems. They had a difficult time developing a transmission for the Accord hybrid. The vehicle was prone to low speed lurching, as it was trying to integrate gas power with electric power.
"Escape Hybrid actually used some Toyota technology under license"
Oy, that's a can of worms! Technically, what you say is true. However, Ford did develop their own tech for the Escape hybrid. They just ran into issues at the patent office. As a compromise, Toyota was willing not to fight Ford on certain hybrid patents if Ford wouldn't fight Toyota on certain diesel and DI patents.
nrb 4:01PM (10/16/2009)
I need to catch myself. I'm not sure if DI was invovolved in the agreement. Diesel definitely was though.
Also, I believe (please correct me) that the 2010 Escape hybrid uses the Ford only tech.
arthurc3 3:31PM (10/17/2009)
Thunderbuck:
STOP PERPETUATING THE FALSE INFORMATION THAT FORD USES TOYOTA HYBRID TECHNOLOGY!
Just quit it already. Ford does not use Toyota hybrid technology. Over and done. As soon as you say stuff like that, you expose yourself as:
1. Horribly misinformed
2. Willfully ignorant and willing to spread lies.
I hope it's option 1.
Farmboy 1:57PM (10/16/2009)
Big news there. With as small as Ford's hybrid lineup is, that is great. This just further puts Ford up to take on Toyota. I think the Escape Hybrid is a big player, but also the Fusion Hybrid. For once, a very attractive hybrid car with very respectable MPG and features outside of the non-hybrid model.
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Yaroukh 2:32PM (10/16/2009)
If most of hybrids are sold in California (isn't it?) Ford has long way to go. (Even though sales of Taurus may indicate some shift in perception on Ford in California.)
StickShift 1:58PM (10/16/2009)
I'm curious if this includes fleet sales. I see Hybrid Escapes as taxis all over the place. Regardless, nicely done with the Fusion hybrid.
Has anyone actually seen a Milan hybrid? I've only seen one regular Milan, but no hybrids at all.
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