Wheelies: The Natural Gas Pickups Edition In which we bring you motoring news from around the Web: According to Ford Motor Company, it will be the first automaker to offer a production half-ton pickup that will run on compressed natural gas. Next year, Ford said it planned to introduce C.N.G.-powered 2014 F-150s in an effort to increase fleet and retail sales. The automaker cited lower natural gas prices, which it quoted at an average of $2.11 per gallon, which was about $1.50 less per gallon than the average for regular gasoline. Ford has already sold a number of Super Duty pickups and vans that run on C.N.G. and says it expects to sell about 15,000 next year. Bloomberg In other superlative news, the Toyota Motor Corporation is poised to become the first automaker in history to build 10 million vehicles in a year, according to a report from Reuters. About a third of those vehicles will be produced in Japan, and the tally includes production by the Daihatsu Motor Company and Hino Motors, both of which Toyota owns. Toyota sold just shy of 10 million vehicles last year, and Reuters said a weak yen and strong demand for hybrids on Toyota's home turf could possibly push it past that threshold this year. Reuters Leasing isn't just for luxury cars anymore. Now that it has spread to strong-selling family sedans like the Toyota Camry and Ford Fusion, Bloomberg reports that leasing has pushed American automotive sales to a level not seen since 2007. Data from Edmunds.com indicated that automakers had been aiming at American consumers who seemed to be focused upon monthly rates. Bloomberg's analysis shows that average annual sales of cars and light trucks in the United States have increased to nearly 16 million this year, from just over 14 million last year. Ford has agreed to pay $17.4 million in federal fines over a Ford Escape recall issued last year for an unintended acceleration problem. The settlement suggests that Ford may have waited longer than was prudent to inform customers and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration of the problem. While neither Ford nor N.H.T.S.A. is saying anything concrete one way or the other, the safety agency has vowed to hold automakers responsible for addressing safety issues "promptly and responsively." CNN Money