2003 F35 Turbo Diesel 6.5" Lift, 35" Tires on 2040-cars

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Ford vandalizes the SEMA Show floor with 2014 Transit Connect

The Ford booth here at SEMA is practically a 1970s throwback with all these customized vans sitting front and center. And we're completely fine with that. Take the black and yellow (black and yellow, black and yellow) 2014 Transit Connect from Mobsteel above. It's got a great stance, sits on steel wheels and has a pretty cool paint job and graphics package to boot.
Of course, that's not the only van you can see at the Ford booth. In fact, there are 10 Transit Connect vans on display from Ford here at SEMA, and you can see them all in our live gallery of high-res images above. Then, if you want to know more about each specific model, feel free to scroll down to read all about these vans in the official press release from Ford.

Lincoln recycling tree fibers into new MKX armrest

Want to hug a tree, or at least a really small part of one. Then set your arm down on one of those armrests in the 2014 Lincoln MKX crossover. The US automaker is working with Weyerhaeuser and Johnson Controls on a tree-based, cellulose-reinforced polypropylene material used in the component that connects the armrest to the floor console, Wards Auto says. With properties similar to plastic, the tree-based material replaces fiberglass and is about six percent lighter. No big deal for now, but if the material starts getting used for things like battery trays and interior storage covers, that loss in weight may eventually start adding up enough to boost fuel economy a bit, providing a green double bonus. Lincoln parent Ford, which isn't saying how much more (or less?) it costs to use the new material, established its Biomaterials and Plastics Research team in 2001. In 2007, the company began using soy-based foam in car seats used for models such as the Lincoln Navigator and Ford Mustang and has since broadened biomaterials use to components like floormats and cupholder inserts. Ford also used recycled plastic bottles from the 2012 North America International Auto Show for seats in the Focus Electric.

2014 Ford C-Max Energi plug-in hybrids get deep, deep discount

Math-phobes may not appreciate all the price discounts available for potential buyers of the Ford C-Max Energi Plug-in Hybrid. For everyone else, though, break out the calculators and celebrate. Because the plug-ins, or at least the 2014 model-year versions, can be had for as much as a third off. How? Start with $4,000 bonus cash from Ford (double what it used to be) and add another $1,750 in dealer discounts, according to Cars Direct. Additionally, the feds will provide a $4,000 tax incentive, while shoppers in the great state of California might get another $1,500 in clean-vehicle rebates. Add them all up – oh, and another $1,000 thrown in by some dealers – and the MSRP of just under $34,000 gets brought down to less than $22,000 out of pocket. It makes that recent $900 price cut for the model seem pretty minor by comparison, doesn't it. Ford is looking to unload a bunch of 2014 model-year C-Max Energi models after sales, which started strong last year, tapered off in recent months. While Americans boosted C-Max Energi purchases by 18 percent last year to 8,433 units, that year-over-year sales gain had been 58 percent through last June. Meanwhile, January sales were down 16 percent to just 395 units. Related Videos: Featured Gallery 2013 Ford C-Max Energi: First Drive View 20 Photos News Source: Cars Direct via Green Car ReportsImage Credit: Copyright 2015 Drew Phillips/AOL Green Ford Hybrid PHEV discounts