Ford’s C-Max Knocks Out Toyota’s Prius

Shares of Ford Motor Co. (NYSE:F) climbed as much as 2 percent in early-afternoon trading on Monday after America’s second-largest automaker reported that its new C-MAX has become the fastest-selling hybrid ever at launch.

Who Did Ford Beat and By How Much?

Ford has made it abundantly clear that its goal is to take out Toyota Motor Corporation’s (NYSE:TM) Prius family. Ford launched its C-MAX with an ad campaign that directly compared the C-MAX Hybrid with the Prius v, and the company’s release takes every opportunity to show where the C-MAX trumps the Prius.

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The release points out that that the C-MAX Hybrid sold 8,030 units in its first two months of sales, beating out the Toyota Camry Hybrid, which sold 7,300 units in its first two months. The C-MAX Hybrid and C-MAX Energi, a plug-in hybrid, are selling three times as many units as the combined launch of the Prius v and Prius Plug-in. And finally, Ford points out that it sold 10 percent more C-MAX cars than Toyota sold Prius v and Prius Plug-in cars in November.

Ford’s strong numbers are particularly impressive because they outpaced an 81.3 percent year-to-date increase in Prius family sales through November.

For a quick comparison: the C-Max rolls in with 47 miles per gallon, 188 horse power, and a price tag of $25,995. The Prius V rolls in with 44 miles per gallon, 134 horse power, and a $27,280 price tag…