Ford to offer employee pricing, cash incentives

DETROIT (Reuters) - Ford Motor Co (F.N) will offer an employee pricing sales incentives program in the United States on most 2008 and 2009 model year vehicles starting next week, a source familiar with the program said on Friday.

The automaker also plans to offer cash incentives on vehicles through the program, which will run from November 19 through January 5 and exclude the 2009 F-Series pickup trucks that were recently launched into production.

Ford declined to comment.

The Ford program follows other broad incentives that General Motors Corp GM.N, Chrysler LLC CBS.UL and other automakers have offered to move vehicles amid the worst U.S. auto industry sales environment in a quarter century.

Ford has offered employee pricing programs in the past. GM had such a program that ran in August and September to boost sales and clear inventory.

Chrysler set aggressive incentives in October and continued them in November with rebates and reduced rate financing on many vehicles.

Most major automakers have been offering heavy rebates and other incentives to bolster sales in recent months.

(Reporting by David Bailey)