AUTOS

Ford Offers Incentives for Alternative-Fuel Vehicles: In an aggressive push to increase alternative-fuel vehicle (AFV) sales among retail buyers, the auto maker said it will institute cash incentives. They range from $1,220 on the F-Series natural gas-fueled truck to $3,225 on the Crown Victoria natural gas-fueled sedan. Ford Motor Co. said incentives of $1,165 on 1996 Taurus flexible-fuel vehicles will offset the cost of the alternative-fuel option for those cars, thus making an alternative-fuel Taurus the same price as a gasoline-powered one. Ford also said 100 dealerships have been added to its AFV program, making it the first auto maker with a broad network for selling alternative-fuel vehicles.