GM and Ford hybrids have a good sales month in April

2010 Mercury Milan Hybrid - Click above for high-res gallery

April 2009 proved to be yet another ugly month for U.S. vehicle sales pretty much across the board with virtually every brand showing significant declines and the seasonally adjusted annual sales rate barely hitting 9 million units. However, there were a few bright spots amongst all the gloom. Both Ford and General Motors had lower declines and better sales than some notable competitors, including Toyota.

Within the overall numbers, sales of hybrids were also looking less than horrible. At GM, hybrid sales have been holding steady in recent months and are well ahead of April 2008. Last year, GM moved a little over 1,100 hybrid models including the two-mode trucks and the mild hybrid cars and SUVs. Last month that number stood at 1,534 units bringing the 2009 hybrid total to 5,156 vehicles.

At Ford, April was the first full sales month for the new Fusion and Milan hybrids after a late March launch. The combined total of Escape, Mariner, Fusion and Milan came to 2,299 units, a boost of 21 percent compared to the same month last year when only the two crossovers were available.