'The Way Forward' is not paved with 250,000 hybrids. The Ford Motor Company is backing away from its bid to produce a quarter-million gas-electric by decade's end. Instead, the Blue Oval's alternate plan is to build more flex-fuel vehicles capable of running on E-85.

In a new interview with the New York Times, CEO Bill Ford pointed out that "The goal all along is a sustainability goal. It is not a hybrid goal."

Although Ford is likely to draw some ire from environmental groups for defaulting on its hybrid goal, the move is likely to appeal to Wall Street, as ethanol-fuelled vehicles are significantly cheaper to develop and manufacture, and the company's struggle to sell its existing lineup of Escape and Mercury Mariner hybrids has been well publicized.

Click through to the article for more on Ford's alternative plans.

+ The New York Times: Ford Shifts Its Focus Away From Hybrid Vehicles