After a decade of drop in activity, auto theft is back again. A new trend is that they continue to target an increasing number of sport utility vehicles (SUV) and minivans.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety said the Cadillac pickup truck is the nation's hottest target for thieves, based on theft-related insurance claims per 1,000 insured vehicles. The Escalade EXT had 20.2 claims for every 1,000 vehicles, making this the second straight year that the Escalade EXT topped the list.
Thieves follow market trends and target the most popular vehicles because they offer the best market for stolen vehicle parts and illegal export to other countries
The Maxima had 17.0 theft-related claims for every 1,000 vehicles, followed by the standard Escalade, the sport/utility version of the vehicle, which had 10.2 claims per 1,000 vehicles. The industry-wide average is 2.5 claims per 1,000 vehicles.
The Buick Le Sabre, the Buick Park Avenue and the Ford Taurus tied for the least attractive vehicles for thieves, with 0.5 theft claims per 1,000 vehicles.
The expensive wheels and rims on the Escalade and Escalade EXT, which can cost more than $10,000 by themselves, make it a target of thieves.
Headlights attract thieves
The Maxima's fancy high intensity headlights similarly attract the attention of thieves, according to the study.
"Investigators are of the opinion that the headlights are often stolen because they fit into earlier Maximas that
were sold without such equipment"
The 2002 and 2003 Maximas, which had the high-intensity lights, had 15.8 theft claims and 20.4 theft claims per 1,000 vehicles, while the 2001 models, which did not have those lights, had an industry-average 2.5 theft claims per 1,000.
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