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Jeep Wrangler Copper Crawler is our idea of a restrained Mopar shopping spree

According to a recent report, the Jeep Wrangler is the most popular SUV for customization, and this is backed up by the fact that the iconic off-roader was just named the Hottest 4x4-SUV at SEMA for the fourth year in a row. Looking for ways to keep its customers in-house rather than going aftermarket, Jeep and Mopar are always teaming to offer exciting new parts and pieces for the JK Wrangler.
Compared to most other Wranglers on display at SEMA - as well as other Chrysler Mopar SEMA concepts - the Jeep Wrangler Copper Crawler is surprisingly reserved, but should be no less exciting for owners to give their Wrangler a distinctive look. Starting off with an eye-catching copper paint scheme, the Jeep then goes on a Mopar catalog shopping spree with its matte black grille, black beadlock wheels, two-inch lift, Rubicon bumper (with a winch and aero end caps up front) and rocker panel and taillight guards.
Jeep also upgraded the Wrangler's transfer case for low-speed rock crawling (hence the vehicle's name) and cold-air intake for extra measure.

China orders Jeep to investigate Wrangler fire risk

It's been some time since we've heard anything about fires related to the Jeep Wrangler (foreign or domestic), but it sounds like the go-anywhere SUV could be in hot water once again in China. Bloomberg is reporting that the Chinese government is ordering Jeep to investigate the matter and, in the meantime, also recommending Wrangler owners to not drive their vehicles in "extreme conditions" due to a "relatively high risk" of catching on fire.
There is no indication as to how many vehicles or which model years are affected, but the previous fire problems in both the US and China - which led to investigations but no recalls - were traced back to automatic transmission fluid leaks. The article, however, does not say what the potential problem is this time around as Jeep has not released a comment on the matter. The official notice, in Chinese, can be found here.

Feds fretting over remote hack of Jeep Cherokee

A cyber-security gap that allowed for the remote hacking of a Jeep Cherokee has federal officials concerned. An associate administrator with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Thursday that news of the breach conducted by researchers Chris Valasek and Charlie Miller had "floated around the entire federal government." "The Homeland Security folks sent out broadcasts that, 'Here's an issue that needs to be addressed,'" said Nathaniel Beuse, an associate administrator with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Valasek and Miller commandeered remote control of the Cherokee through a security flaw in the cellular connection to the car's Uconnect infotainment system. From his Pittsburgh home, Valasek manipulated critical safety inputs, such as transmission function, on Miller's Jeep as he drove along a highway near St. Louis, MO. The scope of the remote breach is believed to be the first of its kind. The prominent cyber-security researchers needed no prior access to the vehicle to perform the hack, and the scope of the remote breach is believed to be the first of its kind. A NHTSA spokesperson said the agency's cyber-security staff members are "putting their expertise to work assessing this threat and the response, and we will take action if we determine it's necessary to protect safety." A Homeland Security spokesperson referred questions about the hack to Chrysler. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles has already been the subject of a federal hearing this month, in which officials scrutinized whether the company had adequately fixed recalled vehicles and repeatedly failed to notify the government about defects. But cyber-security concerns are a new and different species for the regulatory agency. Only hours before the Jeep hack was announced by Wired magazine earlier this week, NHTSA administrator Dr. Mark Rosekind said hacking vulnerabilities were a threat to privacy, safety, and the public's trust with new connected and autonomous technologies that allow vehicles to communicate. NHTSA outlined its response to the cyber-security challenges facing the industry in a report issued Tuesday. In it, the agency summarized its best practices for thwarting attacks and said it will analyze possible real-time infiltration responses. But the agency's ability to handle hackers may only go so far.