MNeagle
3rd August 2010, 07:35 AM
http://s.wsj.net/public/resources/images/OB-JL344_caddy_E_20100803064839.jpg
The most-stolen vehicles, based on the rate at which people file insurance claims for theft, are 2007-2009 Cadillac Escalade luxury SUV, Ford F-250 heavy-duty pickup, Infiniti G37 luxury car, and the Dodge Charger with the powerful Hemi engine.
Theft rates for these vehicles are three to five times as high as the average for all vehicles according to the Highway Loss Data Institute, or HLDI, a research group affiliated with the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
“Sedate family cars and fuel sippers aren’t on the hot list,†says Kim Hazelbaker, senior vice president of HLDI. “Thieves are after chrome, horsepower, and Hemis.â€Â
The statistics on theft losses take into account the rate at which owners file insurance claims and the size of the payments for claims. Most of the vehicles with the highest overall theft losses are SUVs and large pickups, the group says. The Escalade has ranked worst in overall theft losses in six of the past seven HLDI reports. The Escalade EXT, a four-door, four-wheel-drive pickup, has the highest theft losses of all, with $146 in theft payments per insured vehicle year. This is more than 10 times the $14 average theft payments per year for all passenger vehicles, HLDI says.
The vehicles that thieves prefer typically have anti-theft ignition immobilizers designed to prevent them from being started without the key. However, thieves don’t necessarily have to start the cars. Hazelbaker says, â€Âeven though Escalades have the latest immobilizer technology, thieves still can put them on flatbeds and haul them away.â€Â
The group says it is watching pickups in particular. HLDI’s results take into account the stolen vehicle and its content. Total theft losses for pickup trucks climbed steadily between 1999 and 2006 as the US economy boomed but have since decreased. Still, these vehicles have losses that are at least twice those of cars and SUVs.
Hazelbaker says it is often difficult to tell why vehicles become targets for theft. Large pickups, which are often used for work by contractors “are attractive not only because of the vehicles themselves but also because of the tools and cargo they carry,†Hazelbaker says.
http://blogs.wsj.com/drivers-seat/2010/08/03/the-four-vehicles-car-thieves-want-most/
The most-stolen vehicles, based on the rate at which people file insurance claims for theft, are 2007-2009 Cadillac Escalade luxury SUV, Ford F-250 heavy-duty pickup, Infiniti G37 luxury car, and the Dodge Charger with the powerful Hemi engine.
Theft rates for these vehicles are three to five times as high as the average for all vehicles according to the Highway Loss Data Institute, or HLDI, a research group affiliated with the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
“Sedate family cars and fuel sippers aren’t on the hot list,†says Kim Hazelbaker, senior vice president of HLDI. “Thieves are after chrome, horsepower, and Hemis.â€Â
The statistics on theft losses take into account the rate at which owners file insurance claims and the size of the payments for claims. Most of the vehicles with the highest overall theft losses are SUVs and large pickups, the group says. The Escalade has ranked worst in overall theft losses in six of the past seven HLDI reports. The Escalade EXT, a four-door, four-wheel-drive pickup, has the highest theft losses of all, with $146 in theft payments per insured vehicle year. This is more than 10 times the $14 average theft payments per year for all passenger vehicles, HLDI says.
The vehicles that thieves prefer typically have anti-theft ignition immobilizers designed to prevent them from being started without the key. However, thieves don’t necessarily have to start the cars. Hazelbaker says, â€Âeven though Escalades have the latest immobilizer technology, thieves still can put them on flatbeds and haul them away.â€Â
The group says it is watching pickups in particular. HLDI’s results take into account the stolen vehicle and its content. Total theft losses for pickup trucks climbed steadily between 1999 and 2006 as the US economy boomed but have since decreased. Still, these vehicles have losses that are at least twice those of cars and SUVs.
Hazelbaker says it is often difficult to tell why vehicles become targets for theft. Large pickups, which are often used for work by contractors “are attractive not only because of the vehicles themselves but also because of the tools and cargo they carry,†Hazelbaker says.
http://blogs.wsj.com/drivers-seat/2010/08/03/the-four-vehicles-car-thieves-want-most/