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Jeep bringing two special-edition Renegades to the LA Auto Show

Few manufacturers do limited edition runs like Jeep, which has released everything from a 75th Anniversary Edition Wrangler to a Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice Renegade. The automaker is revealing two new versions of the Renegade next week at the 2016 Los Angeles Auto Show: a 2017 Jeep Renegade Deserthawk and a 2017 Jeep Renegade Altitude. The off-road ready Deserthawk starts at $28,140 and builds on the bones of the already capable Renegade Trailhawk. The extra $1,495 nets you an exclusive Mojave Sand paint option, hood, and rear panel decals. It also comes equipped with rock rails and the towing package. Inside, the Deserthawk comes with black leather seats, Light Frost stitching and accents, all-weather floor mats, and a cargo tray mat. As it's based on the Trailhawk, the Deserthawk comes with four-wheel drive, a 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine, and a nine-speed automatic transmission. The Renegade Altitude, like the other Jeep Altitude models, essentially means black on black on black. It comes with 18-inch gloss black wheels with gloss black accents on the front and rear badges, grille rings and tail lamp rings. The black theme continues inside with black cloth seats and black gloss trim. The Altitude also features what Jeep calls Metal Diamond door handles and shift knob. Standard features include a backup camera and a keyless ignition. All that black gloss will set you back at least $22,390. Look for the Renegade pair to arrive in dealers soon. The Altitude will be available later in November while the Deserthawk hits showrooms in January. Related Video: LA Auto Show Jeep Crossover Off-Road Vehicles jeep renegade

FCA will pay you to hack its systems

FCA is willing to pay you to hack its cars, as long as you tell the company how you did it. In an effort to enhance cybersecurity and prevent future incidents like the Jeep Cherokee hack last year, FCA announced it's working with Bugcrowd to find vulnerabilities in its vehicle software. Bugcrowd labels itself as a crowdsourced application security testing company. Users, or independent security researchers as Bugcrowd calls them, can find exploits or vulnerabilities in FCA systems. They then submit the information to Bugcrowd, who in turn supplies the info to FCA. The goal is to update systems and close any possible security breaches. FCA is offering bounties from $150 to $1,500 to any Mr. Robot types, with payment based on the size and severity of the flaw. FCA wants hackers to focus specifically on the UConnect website and the company's iOS and Android apps. No bounties will be given for anything outside the scope of those three things. Bugcrowd says it will not take any legal action against anyone who submits an exploit. While we think it's good that the company is taking steps to address these problems, it's not a groundbreaking maneuver. Other companies employ similar systems. Earlier this year, both Tesla and Uber announced that they're willing to offer up to $10,000 to hackers who find vulnerabilities in their system. For years, Microsoft has been paying hackers to find exploits. It also seems that FCA took its time to announce this plan, considering the Jeep hack happened nearly a year ago. If the partnership works, we can expect other automakers to make similar deals. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. News Source: FCA, Bugcrowd Jeep Safety Technology Infotainment Smartphone FCA

Politician's funeral procession features pole dancers

A Taiwanese politician's racy funeral procession literally stopped traffic as it paraded dozens of scantily clad pole dancers through city streets last week. According to the Deccan Chronicle, beloved local politician Tung Hsiang passed away in December after decades of public service in the southern Taiwanese city of Chiayi. He had a reputation as a fun loving, gregarious socialite and his family wanted to send him off in a suitably flamboyant and memorable way. To honor that end, his family assembled a funeral procession of bands, performers, floats, and more than 200 vehicles that stretched for several kilometers as it snaked through the city. Featured among the procession vehicles were fifty customized, brightly-colored jeeps, each one carrying a bathing suit-clad showgirl dancing around a roof-mounted stripper pole. The exact opposite of a quiet, somber affair, the raucous parade clogged up streets, stopped traffic, and attracted crowds of onlookers and hangers-on. Tung Mao-hsiung, Hsiang's brother, told CTS reporters that his ailing brother had requested a big send-off just days before he died. "He told us he wanted this through a dream two days before the funeral," he said. While Hsiang's delightfully tacky funeral train pushed the boundaries of taste, and definitely contrasts with traditional ideas of funeral decorum, it's not that strange an event in Taiwan. The Deccan Chronicle states that Taiwanese send-offs have a tendency to be risque. Showgirls like the ones hired for Hsiang's procession are commonplace, and often go beyond just dancing and right to stripping at religious festivals and funerals on the island. The Chronicle suggests that this is due to the fact that Taiwanese folk religion is a unique mix of spiritualism and earthiness. Recent Video: News Source: The Deccan Chronicle Auto News Humor Jeep SUV Off-Road Vehicles funeral