DEARBORN, Mich. - Ford Motor Co. says its turnaround is paying big dividends for its dealers, who it says saw their profits skyrocket in 2009, reported The Detroit News.

According to the automaker, profits for Ford dealers were 15 times higher last year than they were in 2008. Profits at Lincoln-Mercury franchises increased tenfold during the same period.

Now, Ford is launching new initiatives to help its dealers go green, and become even more profitable while doing it.

Ford announced the formation of a new dealer committee to help the company figure out ways to improve dealer profitability and the customer car-buying experience.

In addition, Ford is scheduled to unveil a new, voluntary program aimed at helping its dealers reduce their impact on the environment. For a nominal fee, Ford will send a team of green-building experts to a dealership. They will conduct a comprehensive survey of the site and present the owner with an array of options ranging from simple energy-saving improvements to a complete program for going carbon neutral.

Ford says all of these options will save dealers money in the long run while boosting the company's green credentials with consumers. It comes as the automaker readies the launch of a new generation of battery-powered electric vehicles, hybrids and plug-in hybrids.