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Autoblog Minute: FCA issues Uconnect software update amid hacking fears

Carjacking has gone wireless, as automakers and Congress scramble for a solution after a disturbing video on Wired showed a pair of researchers controlling a Jeep Cherokee remotely. Autoblog's Adam Morath and David Gluckman report on this edition of Autoblog Minute. Show full video transcript text [00:00:00] Carjacking has gone wireless, as automakers and Congress scramble for a solution. I'm Adam Morath and this is your Autoblog Minute. Cars with wireless connections are susceptible to remote hacking, as demonstrated in a disturbing video on Wired.com. The segment showed two researchers remotely controlling a Jeep Cherokee, including running vehicle's the wipers, turning up the music, and ultimately shutting down [00:00:30] the Jeep while it was being driven on the highway by Wired senior writer Andy Greenberg. Washington took note. A press release issued from the desks of senators Ed Markey and Richard Blumenthal introduces legislation protecting drivers from auto security privacy risks. Fiat Chrysler, parent company of Jeep, has a solution for its customers. For more we go to Autoblog's David Gluckman. [GLUCKMAN INTERVIEW] Chrysler has worked with the Uconnect cellular provider Sprint to plug security holes on the carrier side. The vehicles themselves can't be updated wirelessly, so [00:01:00] the remaining changes require physical access. For that, customers have three options: One, download the Uconnect software update to a USB stick and install. Two, wait for FCA to send a USB stick with the latest software that they can install, or third, visit a dealer. Owners should do what they're most comfortable with. I made a video that walks through the whole process from download to install and it took about a half hour. [MORATH] David's full video tutorial of how to install the Uconnect fix can be seen on Autoblog. [00:01:30] It remains to be seen how the rest of the auto industry will respond to these security risks. For Autoblog, I'm Adam Morath. Related Video: Autoblog Minute is a short-form news video series reporting on all things automotive. Each segment offers a quick and clear picture of what's happening in the automotive industry from the perspective of Autoblog's expert editorial staff, auto executives, and industry professionals.

FCA profits surge in second quarter

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles gave the cash register a beating in the second quarter, improving its net profit to 333 million euros ($364M US), which is a 263-percent jump over its reported Q1 profit of 92 million euros ($108M US). At the same time, FCA improved its global profit margin to 7.7 percent. Compared year-over-year, in Q2 2014 FCA reported net profit of 197 million euros making this year's Q2 a 69-percent increase, and profit margins a year ago were 4.9 percent. The two big factors for this increase are strong NAFTA sales and Jeep. In the US alone, Jeep sold 222,940 units in Q2 this year, a jump of almost 20 percent over the same period last year. Revenue in the NAFTA region totaled $18.8 billion, adjusted earnings before interest and taxes were $1.45 billion, both of those numbers more than doubling compared to 2014. The vastly better numbers come on marginally more global sales, 1,181,000 units sold in Q2 2014, 1,193,000 units sold in the same span this year. In the US, FCA began charging dealers one-percent more for vehicles to up the margins, a move that helped boost its US margin from 4.1 percent a year ago to 5.8 percent the first half of this year. The company is holding steady on its guidance of global deliveries at 4.8 million and its net profit guidance at $1.1 to $1.3 billion. It has increased its adjusted outlook for the year to $120.5 billion in revenue, and EBIT to "over $4.93 billion." News Source: Automotive News - sub. req.Image Credit: AP Photo/Carlos Osorio Earnings/Financials Chrysler Fiat Jeep FCA

FCA's Pentastar V6 gets more power, efficiency for 2016

Already a vital member of FCA's powertrain lineup, the 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 is receiving major efficiency improvements for 2016. Thanks to a massive amount of new tech attached to the mill, fuel economy is up six percent, and torque below 3,000 rpm jumps nearly 15 percent. The updates arrive first in the 2016 Jeep Grand Cherokee, but they should proliferate to other models eventually. At least in the Grand Cherokee, the tweaks push power up five horsepower to 295 ponies. FCA's engineers went through the Pentastar from top to bottom to eke out as much efficiency as possible. For example, there's now a two-speed variable-valve lift system that can run in low- or high-lift modes. This upgrade is responsible for 2.7-percent better economy, the company claims. A new intake manifold with longer runners and updated variable-valve times also helps boost the torque output. Further improvements come from pushing the compression ratio to 11.3:1, from 10.2:1 before. Perhaps most impressive is that despite all of the innovations, the latest Pentastar actually weighs four pounds less than the current version. Beyond the Pentastar improvements, all of the FCA US gasoline engines, except for the Viper's 8.4-liter V10, will be E15-compatible for 2016. The company says that it wants to be ready for the higher ethanol content fuel's greater use in the near future.