'Significant Number'
"That's still a very significant number," Bakaj said. "We know fundamentally there are customers who want to buy these products."
Ford was the first U.S. automaker to sell a hybrid when it debuted a gasoline and electric powered version of the Escape sport-utility vehicle in 2004. Sales of its Fusion hybrid sedan are down 22 percent this year, to 6,097, according to researcher Autodata Corp.
Ford began selling an electric version of its Focus compact car in May for $39,200. Later this year, Ford will introduce hybrid and plug-in hybrid versions of the C-Max wagon, a model coming from Europe. A new version of the Fusion hybrid, which gets 47 miles (76 kilometers) per gallon in city driving, is also coming this year. Production of a plug-in Fusion sedan starts at year-end.
Mulally's Plan
Chief Executive Officer Alan Mulally has made fuel- efficiency central to his turnaround plan for Ford. He said in April that Ford wouldn't back off its ambitious sales goals for electric-powered vehicles just because they get off to a slow start.
"We believe that the electrification of vehicles is going to continue as the battery cost comes down, as we move to generate electricity cleanly," Mulally told reporters in Laguna Niguel, California, that month. "We see this as continually growing. This is a long-term journey."
Ford gained 0.4 percent to $9.48 at 1:03 p.m. New York time. The shares slid 12 percent this year through yesterday.