2010 Ford Transit Connect Cargo Van Xlt Partition 69k Texas Direct Auto on 2040-cars

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Watch live as Mark Fields is officially named Ford's next CEO

We've heard rumblings of a changing of the guard at Ford, and this live stream from The Blue Oval itself is set to confirm the rumors: Alan Mulally will be succeeded by the automaker's current Chief Operating Officer, Mark Fields.
Mulally, who is 68 years old, has served at the head of Ford for eight years, and his official retirement date will be July 1st, 2014. Fields, who is 53 this year, has been with Ford for 25 years and has been groomed to take the helm from Mulally for the last several of those years.
There's an official press release that you can read, but if you're more of a visual person, you're welcome to watch the live video feed of the announcement down below.

Ford Fiesta ST orders off to strong start

We at Autoblog love the new little Ford Fiesta ST, and apparently, folks in Europe are pretty impressed with it, as well. According to Ford, the automaker's European arm has already logged 3,000 orders for the new hot hatch since it hit dealerships this March. The US-spec car, which will only be available as a five-door, will go on sale in the United States this summer.
What's perhaps most interesting about the Fiesta ST ordering is that the majority of customers appear to be ordering high-spec cars. According to Ford data, 60 percent of customers have opted for the leather interior with Recaro buckets, and 90 percent have selected the upgraded 17-inch wheels (seen on our test car, above). Spirit Blue has been the most popular color, commanding 27 percent of all orders. As for the technology upgrades, 19 percent of customers have ponied up for the Sony stereo with navigation.
To recap, the Fiesta ST is offered with Ford's 1.6-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder engine, putting out 179 horsepower and 177 pound-feet of torque, mated exclusively to a six-speed manual transmission. We had an absolute blast flinging the hot Fiesta through the French Alps, and we can't wait for this sharp little hatch to make its way over to the States.

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.