Ford Motor Co. just reported that it earned $6.6 billion last year, up from its $3.8 billion profit in 2009 and “the most since 1999,” says the Detroit Free Press.

The Detroit News adds that Ford will “give some 40,600 hourly workers profit-sharing checks averaging $5,000 in March.” And, the News says, “the 2010 earnings report and profit-sharing announcement caps a year of continued good news from the Dearborn automaker, which has been boosted by its growing reputation among consumers, and a strong lineup of new models.”

Ford, unlike General Motors and Chrysler, declined federal bailout money in 2008. Copyright 2011 National Public Radio. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.