Porsche responds to PETA after tiger cub displays at Macan dealership events

Porsche has found itself in the good graces of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, which is pretty odd considering it's the only brand we know of that offers leather-lined vents. The activist group is praising the sports car manufacturer's handling of reports that some of its dealerships were set to feature tigers or tiger cubs at the local launch events for the Macan. Apparently, "macan" is the Malay word for tiger, which explains the connection between a highly touted crossover and a jungle cat.

A Tampa, FL dealership already displayed some three-week-old cubs, with PETA saying tigers for display should be at least eight to 12 weeks old. Even then, the group argues that the animals can suffer due to stress, malnourishment, neglect and a lack of veterinary care. The group brings up legal concerns, as well, arguing that if one of the cubs bit a customer, the dealership could be held liable (we're no big cat experts, but it seems unlikely a three-week-old cub could do that much damage).

Porsche's PR department quickly reacted to PETA's claims, with Vice President of Marketing Andre Oosthuizen, telling the group that Porsche is concerned about the "welfare of any animal, large or small, wild or domesticated." Oosthuizen's statements were reported in an official PETA blog.

According to that blog, which reported on Porsche's handling of the situation, Atlanta-based Porsche Cars North America issued a "forceful communication urging all dealers to refrain from" displaying the tigers at Macan events.

"Over the next few days, our field force across the country will personally make contact with every Porsche dealer to reinforce our appeal that no animals whatsoever be used in any dealer activity," Oosthuizen told the activist group.

All told, it seems like the matter was pretty well handled by Porsche. We've reached out to Porsche for additional comment, and will update this story when we hear back.
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Nokia ventures into smart cars after exiting smartphones

Not long ago one of the world's top cellphone makers, Nokia recently completed the sale of its phone unit to Microsoft. Now, it's looking for a new business to focus on, and may have found it in the form of vehicle-to-vehicle communication, mapping and other cutting-edge auto tech.

According to BBC News, the Finnish company has created a $100 million fund to invest in smart vehicle technologies. "Vehicles are becoming a new platform for technology adoption very similar to phones or tablets," said Paul Asel, of Nokia Growth Partners, in a statement obtained by BBC.

Vehicle-to-vehicle tech appears to be the next big breakthrough for automobiles, allowing vehicles to communicate with one another and to share data about their location and speed. It would allow a car to know if there is a hazard around a corner before the driver could see it. Both the Department of Transportation and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration are pushing for standards for the tech.

Nokia has already made some overtures to the automotive market. A few years ago, it attempted to launch Terminal Mode. The operating system would have allowed your car to use apps and features of your phone, somewhat like Apple's iOS in the Car system. However, Nokia's solution never took off. It also operates a cloud-based mapping service called Here (pictured above) for smartphones, and is working with Continental to develop it further.

The company is entering a field with many players. Intel created its own $100 million fund in 2012 to develop vehicle-to-vehicle, vehicle-to-smartphone and vehicle-to-infrastructure systems, plus other automotive technologies, and the segment is growing quickly.
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