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Ford had originally planned to build 20,000 of the hybrid sport utility vehicles per year, but Marty Collins, general marketing manager for the Ford Division in North America, said the company might build another 10,000.

The hybrid has been available on the East and West coasts and Ford plans to begin shipping units to the rest of the country in January. Dealers are taking orders now, Collins said, cautioning that it could be several months before customers get their vehicles.

Separately, Ford is encouraged by early-October sales of its new Five Hundred sedan and Freestyle crossover. Customers are buying better-equipped models than Ford anticipated, with 30 percent of Five Hundred buyers opting for all-wheel drive. And advertising for the new models has sent 25 percent more visitors to Ford's consumer Web site.