2000 Jeep Wrangler Sport Sport Utility 2-door 4.0l on 2040-cars

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FCA believes thieves aren't getting into Jeeps with laptops

Last week, we reported on an incident where thieves stole a 2010 Jeep Wrangler from an owner's driveway in Houston, TX with nothing but a laptop. While the security footage made it seem like the perpetrator hacked into the vehicle, we had a conversation with FCA's senior manager of security architecture Titus Melnyk who set the record straight. According to Melnyk, the thief in the video isn't using the laptop to get into the vehicle, but rather as a means of coding a blank key fob and then using that fob to get into the Jeep. According to Melnyk, the suspects have gained access to a key programming tool, which allows them to pair blank key fobs to FCA vehicles. With the key fob now coded, the suspects can get into the vehicle and drive away. The thieves, believes Melnyk, have acquired the programming tool through a dishonest dealership or locksmith. Since the suspects are using a process designed to be used (honestly) by dealers, FCA doesn't consider this to be hacking and believes that there are no security flaws in the vehicles. How are the thieves getting key fobs? While Melnyk believes it is possible to recode an existing key fob, he points out that it's much easier to purchase a blank key fob on Ebay for less than $25. FCA is working closely with the Houston Police Department to apprehend the suspects. Related Video: Jeep Technology SUV Videos viral video hacking thieves

Chinese Jeep production confirmed with Fiat, Guangzhou agreement

Fiat has just finalized a deal originally set up in January between it and China's Guangzhou Automotive Group to bring Jeep production to China. It remains unclear which models will be built, although we're wagering that it'll be the 2014 Cherokee. What we do know, now, is where production will take place.
According to Automotive News, Guangzhou originally wanted production to take place in its home assembly plant in its namesake city. Fiat has battled to send production to a joint venture facility established between Guangzhou and Fiat in the town of Changsha. The joint facility won out, and now the factory, originally built in 2010 with a 140,000-unit capacity, will see Jeeps rolling out of it.
Currently, the GAC-Fiat factory produces the Fiat Viaggio, a jointly developed product that is closely related to America's Dodge Dart. And while it remains unclear as to which model will join the Viaggio on the assembly line, that model is understood to ride on Fiat's Compact platform. The only Jeep to share those underpinnings is the new Cherokee, so there's not much connecting of dots needed to see why this scenario would make sense.

2015 Jeep Renegade

It's no secret that the midsize crossover segment is one of the most hotly contested battlegrounds in the automotive industry. Long have vehicles like the Ford Escape, Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4 duked it out for those ever illusive consumer dollars. For many customers, though, even something like a Nissan Rogue is too big, whether in terms of price, fuel economy or just plain size.
For those customers, a growing market segment seems poised to fulfill their needs. Compact crossovers and tall wagons like the Nissan Juke and Kia Soul offer the high-riding driving experience with all the utility that comes from their two-box layout. It's an underrepresented segment among manufacturers, with big names like Toyota, Ford, General Motors and Honda lacking a true competitor.
To capitalize on this growing class, Chrysler's Jeep brand has readied this: the Renegade. That's right. Not Jeepster - Renegade. This diminutive off-roader, which rides on Fiat Chrysler's new small-wide 4x4 architecture, represents Jeep's first foray into the subcompact CUV segment as we know it, and it's making its official debut this week, on the floor of the 2014 Geneva Motor Show. Join us as we take a close look at one of Jeep's most important products in some time.