Ford to build hybrid minivan

STERLING HEIGHTS, Michigan (AP):Ford Motor Co will sell a hybrid-only minivan in the US next year in a bid to challenge Toyota's hybrid dominance.

The five-passenger van will come in two versions: A gas-electric hybrid, like Toyota's Prius, that gets more than 41 miles per gallon (17.4 kpl), and a plug-in hybrid, like the Chevrolet Volt, which will run on electric power but have a backup gas engine that kicks in when the power runs low.

Gas and diesel versions of the minivan, called the C-Max, went on sale late last year in Europe, where they have been a hit for Ford. But the company decided to make the C-Max a hybrid-only vehicle in the US after seeing buyer demand for fuel-efficient vehicles spike in the last few months. Gas prices are up 20 per cent since February, although they've come down in recent weeks.

Ford is eager to have a hybrid-only vehicle. The company has sold more than 140,000 hybrid versions of some of its vehicles, like the Fusion sedan and Escape SUV, over the last six years. But that falls far short of Toyota Motor Corp, which recently sold its one millionth Prius in the US Customers seem to prefer hybrid-only cars like the Prius, which has a unique look that can't be confused with a gas-powered car.

Ford wants to jump in before Toyota gets too far in its planned expansion of the Prius family. Toyota has a five-passenger Prius wagon, the Prius V, going on sale in the US later this year.