Ford shatters full-year hybrid sales record in just 5 months

As expected, Ford has shattered its full-year hybrid sales record in just five months.

Ford announced on Friday that is has sold about 37,000 hybrid vehicles through the month of May, setting a new annual sales record for the company. Ford's previous high watermark was set in 2010 when it sold 35,496 hybrid vehicles during the full year.

“We’re working tirelessly to get as many hybrids to the market as we can right now to meet this unprecedented customer demand for our electrified vehicles,” said Erich Merkle, Ford U.S. sales analyst. “The success we are experiencing with hybrids is energizing the whole company.”

Ford says it is now the second biggest seller of hybrid vehicles in the United States, trailing only Toyota.

Ford's massive leap forward in hybrid sales – which are up 375 percent so far this year – can be attributed to the automaker's growing lineup of gas-electric vehicles. Back in 2010 Ford mostly relied on the Escape crossover for hybrid sales, but the automaker's lineup now includes several hybrid vehicles, including the Ford C-MAX Hybrid, Ford C-MAX Energi, Ford Fusion Hybrid, Ford Fusion Energi and the Lincoln MKZ Hybrid.

The Ford Fusion Hybrid is currently Ford's most popular hybrid model. Ford says the Fusion Hybrid accounts for nearly 2 out of every 10 Fusion sales.