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Woman throws coffee at man over handicapped parking spot

A Toronto area busybody started a decidedly un-Canadian altercation over a woman illegally parking in a handicapped parking spot this week. He now regrets his decision to film it. On March 21, Ryan Favro confronted a young woman outside the Tim Hortons in Toronto as she approached her jeep with two cups of iced coffee. The situation quickly escalated, and ended with the woman hurling obscenities and both of her coffees at Favro before driving off. Favro quickly uploaded his video to Facebook where it quickly became viral, garnering more than a million views and spreading as far as New Zealand. Toronto Police caught wind of the video, which clearly shows the woman's face and the license plates of her Jeep, and issued her a warning. "We've cautioned her for assault and parking in a disabled spot, which is really what we can do under the circumstances," said Toronto Police spokesman Mark Pugash. Favro changed his mind about the public shaming by mid-week and, in a futile attempt to put the genie back in the bottle, he removed the video from his Facebook page. "I don't want to grind this woman into the ground," he said. "There has to be a way for her to recover." His attempt to walk back his video and make the situation go away have not been particularly successful, however. Although he took the original video down, it has been copied and posted so often by now that it has become impossible to completely erase it. His attempts to do so, and his post about it on Facebook, have received some mixed feedback. "If the guy was feeling remorse for publishing it [the video], perhaps he should not have posted it online and just go to police," said Facebook user Laura Dixon. Repeated requests by the Toronto Star to interview Favro have gone unanswered News Source: TheStar.com Chrysler Jeep SUV Off-Road Vehicles Videos parking toronto coffee parking lot handicapped parking

Chrysler Portal Concept introduces millennials to their automotive future at CES

"Created by millennials for millennials." That's how Chrysler describes its new Portal Concept, a fully electric minivan that's set to debut later today at CES in Las Vegas. Reading between the lines, apparently that means millennials want a one-box van with lots of glass and LED lighting elements... and that FCA is talking to the same millennials as Mercedes did back in 2015. From the few early images of the vehicle released ahead of its official debut, Chrysler's electric van looks like it could have come straight off a Syd Mead drawing. The Portal Concept rides on a 118.2-inch wheelbase, which makes it a little smaller than the Pacifica. There's just enough reality in its design that we can't completely dismiss its viability as an actual vehicle, but all of its disparate design ideas make the Portal look like an overwrought vision of a future that will probably never happen. That said, we'll reserve final judgment until we see it in person at CES. The Portal Concept gets intriguing once its massive double-sliding doors open up. There's a minimalist dash with a long, slender LCD at the top and another, more conventional touchscreen right in the center. Apparently, the screens can be repositioned as needed. There are 10 docking stations inside to charge and hold smartphones or tablets. FCA worked with Panasonic to develop the Portal's user experience, and the automaker hints that the supplier could become a long-term partner. Chrysler calls the interior of its Portal Concept a "third space," the other two being home and work. All the seats mount to rails that allow them to move fore and aft, fold flat, or be removed completely. The flat floor sits above a lithium ion battery pack rated at 100 kWh. That's enough capacity to allow a driving range of more than 250 miles. A 350-kW fast charger can replenish the pack to allow a 150-mile range in less than 20 minutes. A single electric motor powers the front wheels. As befitting a vehicle unveiled at CES, Chrysler says the Portal is capable of SAE Level Three autonomous driving, which means the occupants can turn driving duties over to the vehicle under certain conditions on the highway. As self-driving technology advances, Chrysler says the Portal could be upgraded. Facial recognition and voice biometric technologies allow the Portal to recognize individual users so it can tailor the driving environment to their needs and wishes.

PSA shares rise following FCA's breakup with Renault

Shares in Groupe PSA, parent company of automakers Peugeot, Citroen and the DS brand, rose on Thursday as analysts considered the possibility that Fiat Chrysler could turn back to PSA after withdrawing its $35 billion merger offer for Renault. "Both parties have acknowledged the need for scale or [mergers and acquisitions] and may pursue other opportunities. If Nissan was an obstacle (to an FCA-Renault deal) PSA-FCA discussions could resume," wrote brokerage Jefferies. Back in March at the Geneva Motor Show, rumors started swirling that PSA was interested in a potential merger with FCA. Mike Manley, who took over at the helm of Fiat Chrysler following the death of Sergio Marchionne, had indicated a willingness to look into potential partnership options. Of course, that was all before FCA proposed a merger with Renault — with that deal now off the table, attention naturally turns back to PSA, which is also based in France. "We expect both shares to react negatively but see FCA having wider strategic options and Renault shares more downside risk near-term," said Jefferies. According to Reuters, PSA shares were up 1.5% at the time this was published, making it the top-performing stock on France's benchmark CAC-40 Index. Renault saw its shares slump 7%. Shares for FCA fell 3% in early trading on the Milan Stock Exchange. Considering that FCA said in its statement confirming the withdraw of its merger offer with Renault that "political conditions in France do not currently exist for such a combination to proceed successfully," we have to wonder how keen the company is to begin negotiations with another French automaker like PSA. Those thoughts were similarly voiced by Bernstein Research analyst Max Warburton, who said (via Forbes), "Expect PSA to rise on unrealistic hopes it may be FCA's next date." Earnings/Financials Chrysler Fiat Mitsubishi Nissan Citroen Peugeot Renault FCA renault-nissan