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Dodge shows can-do attitude with grand Can'avan sculpture

There are lots of ways to celebrate an important birthday, and all of them are well deserved. You can throw a big party, buy yourself something nice, or - if you're the altruistic type - do something for others in need. The latter is how Chrysler has opted to mark the 30th anniversary of its Dodge Grand Caravan and Chrysler Town & Country.
Together with hunger-advocacy organization Canstruction, the Chrysler Foundation has built a full-scale replica of the Grand Caravan out of 30,000 food cans in the square at the corner of Yonge and Dundas in Toronto, a ways down the highway from where the real vans are built in Windsor. The sculpture was built over the course of 10 hours by 30 volunteers and was displayed earlier this week.
Now the installation is being taken down, and the cans of food are being donated to the Daily Bread Food Bank, which will assemble them into 2,000 food baskets to be distributed to those in need through its network of 200 food banks across the Canadian metropolis. Check out a neat time-lapse video of the build and the press release below.

Stellantis not looking for further mergers, including with Renault

MILAN — Stellantis Chairman John Elkann on Monday denied the carmaker was hatching merger plans, responding to press speculation about a possible French-led tie-up with rival Renault. Elkann said that the Peugeot owner, the world's third largest carmaker by sales, was focused on the execution of its long-term business plan. "There is no plan under consideration regarding merger operations with other manufacturers," said Elkann, who also heads Exor, the Agnelli family holding company that is the largest single shareholder in Stellantis. After abandoning the Russian market, at the time its second largest after France, and reducing the scope of its global cooperation with Nissan, Renault has been seen as a potential M&A target. Speculation intensified after an electric vehicle market slowdown forced it last week to cancel IPO plans for its EV and software unit Ampere. Its market cap remains stubbornly low at little over 10 billion euros ($10.8 billion) despite a financial recovery over the past few years. Stellantis, the product of a 2021 merger between France's PSA and Fiat Chrysler and one of the most profitable groups in the industry, has a market cap of more than 85 billion euros when unlisted shares are factored in. It has a 14 brand portfolio also including Citroen, Jeep, Opel and Alfa Romeo. NEWSPAPER REPORT Italian daily Il Messaggero had said on Sunday that the French government, which is Renault's largest shareholder and also has a stake in Stellantis, was studying plans for a merger between the two groups. A spokeswoman for Renault said on Monday the group did not comment on rumors. France's Finance Ministry had declined to comment on Sunday. Stellantis has crossed swords with the Italian government, which has accused it of acting against the national interest on occasions. Industry Minister Adolfo Urso last week raised the prospect of the Italian government taking a stake in Stellantis to help to balance the French influence. Renault shares pared gains after Elkann's comments to stand 1.2% higher by 1220 GMT, having initially risen more than 4%. Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares, a Portuguese-national, last week said in an interview with Bloomberg that the group was "ready for any kind of consolidation" and that its job was to make sure that it would be "one of the winners". Analysts, however, question the rationale of a Stellantis-Renault merger, which would also expand the group's excess capacity in Europe.

'CSR Racing 2' mobile game adding 'Fast & Furious' pack

Popular mobile drag-racing game CSR Racing 2 (CSR2) is constantly adding new cars, new events, and new features to keep the game fresh. In March, CSR2 released the stunning McLaren Speedtail into the game, and for April, a "Fast & Furious"-themed pack is on the way. CSR2 recently celebrated 100 seasons of racing (the game runs on its own calendar) and announced a new update is on the way. Many new vehicles are coming, including a McLaren F1 LM, a Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Coupe, a Bugatti EB110 Super Sport, a Honda NSX-R, a C3 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1, a Lamborghini Countach LP5000 Quattrovalvole, a Porsche Carrera GT and a Shelby Cobra 427 S/C.  Through various events, players will also be able to unlock more cars such as the Aston Martin Valhalla Concept, the Ferrari Monza SP1 and SP2, a TVR Griffith, a Toyota GR Supra, a Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport, a BMW M8 Competition Coupe, and for the first time in a video game, the Mini John Cooper Works GP. But possibly the most hyped vehicles included in the new update are not cars that come straight from the production line. Update 2.11 will add character cars from the "Fast & Furious" franchise.  As part of a series of special events within the game, CSR2 customers will be able to race with numerous F&F cars such as the 1970 Dodge Charger Daytona, the 2001 Veilside Honda S2000, and Jesse's iconic 1995 Volkswagen Jetta. There are no details about the specifics of the events, but the first will launch in mid-April and the rest will slowly drip the rest of the year. The new cars come after CSR2 released the "Fast & Furious" Toyota Supra, Veilside Mazda RX-7, and Mitsubishi Eclipse back in 2019.  For more information about CSR2 and the upcoming update, visit CSR2's Tumblr. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Featured Gallery CSR Racing 2 Fast and Furious Pack Auto News Toys/Games TV/Movies Dodge Honda Volkswagen Fast & Furious Honda S2000