SANTA MONICA, Calif. -

According to Edmunds.com, sales of new hybrid and electric cars climbed by a significant amount in the first quarter when compared to traditional vehicle sales.

More specifically, the company discovered hybrids and electric car sales soared 37 percent in the first quarter of 2011.

The growth outpaced sales of traditional gas-powered cars and trucks whose first quarter sales improved 20 percent over the same period in 2010, the company noted.

Leading the way in sales of hybrid and electric vehicles — also known as “advanced technology” vehicles — was Toyota, which sold 54,609 units in the first quarter, 37 percent more than the same period last year.

Toyota’s flagship hybrid, the Prius, grew more than 50 percent year over year, making up almost 80 percent of the company’s advanced tech sales.

Honda enjoyed the highest growth in advanced technology sales in the first quarter. Its 11,354 sales accounted for an 84-percent increase over the first quarter of 2010.

The Insight hybrid led the way with 6,058 first quarter sales — a 22-percent increase over the first quarter of 2010. Honda also successfully introduced the CR-Z hybrid in 2011, with 3,670 sales in the first quarter.

But not all hybrids are winners, Edmunds.com stressed. The company pointed to Mercedes-Benz and Nissan as having seen advanced tech sales fall 76 percent and 17 percent, respectively, through the first three months of the year.

The Lexus HS 250h, meanwhile, saw sales plummet almost 80 percent in the first quarter, Edmunds.com found.

As some analysts are anticipating that prices at the pump will exceed $5 a gallon by the end of the year, Edmunds.com indicated it expects more consideration of all fuel-efficient vehicles, especially hybrids and EVs.

“Edmunds.com analysts are starting to see the same pattern of buyer behavior that we saw when gas prices last hit record highs in 2008,” said Edmunds’ Auto Observer.com senior editor John O’Dell. “But the price at the pump isn’t the only force driving the market. With nearly a dozen new models to choose from, hybrids are offering a much broader appeal than they have in the past.”

Read more details about hybrid and EV sales in the first quarter of 2011 on Edmunds.com at blogs.edmunds.com/greencaradvisor/2011/04/advanced-tech-vehicle-sales-soar-with-gas-prices.html. Updated sales and consumer consideration data can be found in the Data Center at www.autoobserver.com/car-data-center/.