Ford Motor hopes to boost sales of fuel-efficient petrol-electric hybrid vehicles more than 10-fold by 2010 as the US carmaker sets out to regain the environmental high ground from Japanese rivals Toyota and Honda.

Bill Ford, chairman and chief executive, said production capacity for 250,000 hybrid cars would be installed in the next five years as hybrid versions of half its US range of Ford, Lincoln and Mercury-branded cars were launched. Further hybrids under the Jaguar, Land Rover or Volvo brands could also beproduced.